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iHorgan  Eocfeefeller'g  Will 


&  Eomante  of  1991=2 


25u  ifranns  H.  (Elarkc 


Copyrightrb  in  1909  by.  Jfrancis  li.  (Clarkr 


tlarkr-Crrr  publishing  (to. 

))ortlanb,  (Orrunn 


"Man  is  born  free,  but  everywhere  enslaved." 

— Rousseau. 


"The  State — I  am  the  State."  —Louis  xiv. 


PREFACE. 

The  author  of  this  book  presents  it  to  the  public 
in  the  belief  that  it  contains  a  message  which  it  is  proper 
for  its  readers  to  receive  and  consider.  It  is  not  pre- 
tended that  the  message  is  entirely  new.  Only  the 
form  in  which  it  appears  may  be  thought  by  some  to 
be  unique,  and  the  author  hopes  it  will  give  offense  to 
none.  He  does  not  presume  to  criticise  any  one  or  any 
set  of  men,  for  he  has  no  doubt  that  all  are  responsible 
in  a  very  large  measure  for  each  member  of  the  human 
family.  His  only  hope  is  that  his  work  will  aid  the 
reader  to  acquire  a  better  understanding  of  the  an- 
cient "Law  of  Life,"  which  alone  is  a  remedy  for  hu- 
man ills. 

March  1909. 


CONTENTS. 

Chapter.  Page. 

I.     The  Estate  and  the  Man 1 

II.     The  Man  and  the  Estate 4 

III.  A  Director  in  the  Estate 7 

IV.  The  Estate  Strikes 9 

V.     The  Outcast 14 

VI.     The  Reapers  of  the  World 18 

VII.     The  Lady  Harvester 22 

VIII.     The  Estate's  Ferret 29 

IX.     The  Two  Presidents 35 

X.     The  Death  of  Money i 38 

XI.     The  Estate's  Military  Chamber 45 

XII.     Lowell  at  Montraven 52 

XIII.  Helen  Channing  at  Home 59 

XIV.  The  Conference 66 

XV.     The  Mirage  Reflector 71 

XVI.     The  Revolution  in  the  Reflector 76 

VXII.     The  Death  of  Morgan  Rockefeller 81 

XVIIL     Who  Shall  be  King 86 

XIX.     The  Will 91 

XX.     The  Niece  of  the  King 98 

XXI.     The  Reflector  and  the  Detective 105 

XXII.     The  Abduction 110 

XXIII.  General  Jamieson 116 

XXIV.  Two  Extremes 123 

XXV.     The  Revolution 131 

XXVI.     President  Adams' Perplexity 137 

XXVII.     The  Life  that  Faded 143 

XXVIII.     A  Leaf  from  a  Life 149 

XXIX.     The  Cabinet  Meeting 155 

XXX.     That  Special  Session 162 

XXXI.     The  Arrow  Shoots  Home 165 

XXXII.     The  Heiress  Unchanged 170 

XXXIII.  The  Call  of  the  Estate 178 

XXXIV.  The  Estate's  Envoy 184 

XXXV.     The  Snare  of  Circumstances 192 

XXXVI.     A  Plot 199 

XXXVII.     The  Hall  of  History 205 

XXXVIII.     The  Temptation 212 

XXXIX.     The  Message 222 

XL.     Helen's  Question 231 

XLI.     The  Suit  Rejected 238 

XLII.     Revelations 249 

XLIII.     The  Society  of  Silence 257 

XLIV.     The  Law  of  Force 267 

XLV.     TheLawofLove 274 

XLVI.     The  Movement  of  the  Many 283 

XLVII.     Fraternity 291 

XLVIII.     A.  D.  2000 298 


CHAPTER  I. 
THE  ESTATE  AND  THE  MAN. 

1990! 

Morgan  Rockefeller  had  been  President  of  the 
Standard  Oil  Company  for  thirty  years. 

In  order  to  understand  the  situation  it  is  necessary 
to  become  acquainted  with  this  great  historical  person. 

The  founder  of  his  family  was  John  D.  Rockefeller 
from  whom  he  was  descended  in  the  seventh  generation. 

His  father  was  Aldrich  Rockefeller  and  his  mother 
was  a  Morgan. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  stages  by  which  so- 
ciety developed  this  summit  of  power  and  wealth — 
Morgan  Rockefeller. 

John  D's  estate  was  valued  at  one  billion. 

John  D.  Jr.  left  ten  billion. 

John  D.  3rd  left  thirty  billion. 

John  D.  4th  married  a  descendent  of  Weyerhauser 
the  lumber  king  and  administered  the  two  estates  so 
wisely  that  in  less  than  ten  years  he  left  an  estate  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  billion. 

Aldrich  Rockefeller  was  a  genius.  He  organized 
the  Merger  and  when  he  died  in  1960  the  complete 
socialization  of  ecomonic  America  was  practically  ef- 
fected. 


2  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

But  after  Philip  came  Alexander. 

After  Aldrich  came  Morgan. 

This  marvel  of  energy  and  resource  was  thirty 
when  he  succeeded  to  his  estate. 

In  1990  he  was  sixty. 

As  the  owner  of  all  the  capital  stock  of  Standard 
Oil  Company — except  ten  shares  of  a  par  value  of  one 
dollar  each — he  had  more  power,  personal,  financial, 
and  political  than  any  mortal  ever  had  before. 

No  tyrant  or  despot,  Czar,  Emperor,  King  or 
Dictator  ever  had  so  much  power  as  he. 

All  wealth  was  his. 

Therefore  he  could  do  as  he  pleased. 

His  land,  his  mines,  his  forests,  his  streams,  his 
springs,  his  factories,  his  foundries,  his  shops,  his 
stores,  his  railroads,  his  ships,  his  theaters,  and  his 
everything — were  at  the  disposal  of  his  people,  his 
workmen  and  workwomen,  so  long  as  they  obeyed  his 
will. 

Morgan  Rockefeller  had  no  superior  on  earth. 

All  political  officers  were  his  creatures. 

All  religious  heads  bowed  with  equal  submission 
to  their  earthly  and  heavenly  masters. 

All  educators  accepted  as  the  indisputable  basis 
of  all  education  the  divinity  of  vested  rights  as  repre- 
sented by  Morgan  Rockefeller. 

There  have  been  greater  despots  and  worse  tyrants 
than  the  Roman  Nero,  but  Nero's  name  stands  for  all 
that  is  not  too  bad  to  be  printed.  It  is  possible  for  a 
political  or  military  despot  like  him  to  descend  to  al- 
most inconceivable  depths  of  degradation. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  3 

Morgan  Rockefeller  was  neither  a  political  nor  a 
military  tyrant. 

It  was  not  possible  for  him  to  greatly  misuse  his 
power,  vast  as  it  was,  because  to  misuse  it  was  to  dis- 
turb and  weaken  the  system  which  produced  it. 

He  was  simply  a  business  proposition. 

He  found  his  estate  made  up  of  certain  facts,  fig- 
ures, things  and  persons. 

He  developed  no  theories. 

When  he  found  a  force  he  harnessed  it. 

When  he  saw  a  productive  area  he  made  it  pro- 
duce. 

When  he  discovered  mankind  he  divided  it  into 
producers  and  consumers. 

They  were  his  producers  and  his  consumers. 

They  could  not  escape  it. 

If  a  man  wanted  food  Rockefeller  furnished  it. 

If  he  wanted  clothing  Rockefeller  made  it. 

If  he  wanted  medicine  Rockefeller  provided  it. 

He  was  the  universal  landlord  and  the  universal 
undertaker. 

But  to  get  what  he  wanted  a  man  must  have 
money. 

To  get  money  he  must  work  for  somebody  who 
had  it. 

Nobody  had  it  but  Rockefeller,  so  all  men  worked 
for  Rockefeller,  and  received  his  money .  and  bought 
back  what  they  made  from  him  and  paid  his  money 
for  it.     Rockefeller  regulated  the  prices  of  all  things. 


CHAPTER  II. 
THE  MAN  AND  THE  ESTATE. 

Morgan  Rockefeller,  the  business  proposition, 
the  Merger  of  Humanity,  the  corporate  uncrowned 
King,  the  All  in  One,  was  not  exactly  like  his  ancestors. 

He  was,  indeed,  so  unlike  them  as  to  be  a  freak. 

At  sixty  he  had  done  through  business  all  that 
Alexander  had  done  by  war.  There  was  nothing 
more  to  do  except  to  improve  his  system. 

But  at  sixty  he  felt  tired. 

He  began  to  consider  the  object  of  his  strenuous 
work. 

He  had  never  married  and  had  neither  wife  nor 
children  to  strive  for.  In  fact  he  had  no  heirs  except 
a  niece  who  had  no  interest  in  him  and  in  whom  he 
felt  no  interest.  He  thought  of  her  when  he  made  his 
will,  but  it  seemed  absurd  to  put  on  her  feminine 
shoulders  the  burden  of  the  vast  Standard  Oil  system. 

As  a  business  proposition  he  created  an  aristocracy. 
But  it  was  an  aristocracy  of  merit.  Claims  of  blood 
and  money  were  altogether  eliminated. 

This  is  the  way  the  aristocracy  was  distinguished. 
The  Standard  Oil  Company  had  ten  directors.  They 
were  the  most  expert,  the  brainiest  and  keenest  busi- 
ness diplomats  whom  the  system  had  developed.  The 
Standard  Oil  did  no  business  directly,  but  held  the 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  5 

stock  of  many  thousand  corporations  which  did  the 
business. 

Every  corporation  represented  the  organization 
of  some  interest  and  the  boards  of  directors  were  com- 
posed of  men  who  occupied  the  highest  stations  in  so- 
cial and  refined  life. 

At  sixty  Morgan  Rockefeller  turned  his  attention 
to  politics.  But  he  shortly  discovered  that  this  af- 
forded him  no  diversion.  Politics  was  nothing  more 
than  the  art  of  hunting  a  place  in  the  government. 

Government  was  the  creature  of  business. 

It  was  instituted  because  the  industrial  system 
required  it  to  do  police  duty. 

It  was  merely  a  machine  made  to  serve  the  ends 

of  industry.  . 

In  all  ages  the  industrial  system  in  force  made 
such  government  as  it  wanted. 

So  when  feudal  lords  wanted  a  government  suit- 
able to  their  needs  they  made  a  king. 

When  the  church  needed  protection  for  physical 
incomes  kingship  was  invested  with  divinity.  > 

In  a  competitive  business  age  an  industrial  repub- 
lic demanded  a  democratic  government  to  protect 
individual  interests  and  created  the  republican  form 
and  gave  it  a  republican  head. 

In  his  time  Morgan  Rockefeller  saw  no  need  of 
feudal  or  republican  systems. 

He  was  strong  enough  as  an  industrial  power  to 
dictate  all  laws  and  enforce  them.  Indeed,  in  his  mo- 
nopolistic merger  the  severest  punishment  which  could 
be  inflicted  was  to  discharge  the  wrongdoer.  Men  lived 
in  mortal   dread  of   losing   their   positions.      To   be 


6  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

stricken  off  the  pay  rolls  of  the  universal  bookkeeper 
meant  starvation.  There  was  but  one  employer  and 
there  were  no  longer  any  individual  workers,  except 
in  the  waste  lands  where  gold  was  to  be  found  in  al- 
luvial or  placer  deposits. 

Many  men  who  had  not  yet  taken  positions  with 
the  Merger — men  of  the  old  school — and  men  who  had 
lost  positions,  were,  some  of  them,  employed  in  the 
goldfields — for  gold  was  still  money. 

Such  was  the  situation  and  such  was  Morgan  Rocke- 
feller in  1990  when  our  story  begins. 


CHAPTER  III. 
A  DIRECTOR  IN  THE  ESTATE. 

Alden  Lowell  of  Boston  was  one  of  the  directors 
of  the  New  England  Furniture  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany. As  such  he  was  regarded  as  a  person  of  im- 
portance although  his  interest  in  the  company  was 
limited  to  one  share  of  its  capital  stock,  par  value  one 
dollar.  His  salary,  however,  was  large  enough  to  en- 
able him  to  maintain  a  respectable  state,  suitable  to 
the  station  which  Rockefeller's  directors  occupied. 
Lowell  was  a  young  man,  unmarried,  son  of  Exmore 
Lowell  who  had  figured  as  one  of  Rockefeller's  most 
efficient  lieutenants  in  New  England.  He  owed  his 
position  to  the  distinction  of  his  father  and  the  desire 
of  Mr.  Rockefeller  to  show  his  appreciation  of  Exmore 
Lowell's  unselfish  devotion  to  his  service  through  many 
years. 

Director  Lowell  was  not  a  practical  furniture 
manufacturer,  but  he  was,  as  all  conceded,  sound  in 
his  judgment  of  business,  and,  although  not  more  than 
twenty-five  years  old  was  highly  valued  as  a  counselor. 
One  of  the  advantages  of  his  position  was  that  he  en- 
joyed much  leisure,  for  while  his  duties  were  exacting, 
they  required  his  attention  for  only  two  or  three  hours 
during  the  day.  Being  of  a  studious  turn  of  mind  and 
devoted  to  scientific  research  he  engaged  in  a  course 


8  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

of  study  and  a  series  of  experiments  which  finally  be- 
came of  absorbing  interest. 

When  a  boy  Alden  had  accompanied  his  father 
on  a  journey  through  the  Australian  desert.  The  pur- 
pose of  the  journey  was  to  enable  the  father  to  observe 
the  atmospheric  conditions,  witness  the  phenomena 
which  are  presented  there  perhaps  more  frequently 
than  any  where  else,  in  the  various  forms  of  mirage  and 
make  copious  notes  of  what  he  observed.  Exmore  had 
a  belief  that  if  he  could  obtain  a  sufficient  understanding 
of  mirage  conditions,  he  could  provide  a  machine  which 
would  excel  the  most  extravagant  claims  of  clair- 
voyancy  or  of  what  the  spiritualists  call  '  'materializa- 
tion," repeating  scenes  as  they  occurred  far  from  the 
place  of  their  enactment. 

The  father  died,  but  the  son  was  as  zealous  in  the 
quest  as  he  and  the  genius  of  the  latter  was  intensified 
by  the  feeling  that  the  father's  untimely  demise  placed 
upon  him  the  double  duty  of  living  his  own  life  and 
living  out,  also,  the  life  of  the  father.  Therefore  most 
of  Director  Lowell's  time  was  spent  in  perfecting  an 
invention  which  he  called  the  "Mirage  Reflector" 
and  incidently  most  of  his  money  was  spent  in  the  same 
way. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  ESTATE  STRIKES. 

One  day  in  1990  the  young  Director  received  a 
notice  from  the  president  of  the  company  citing  him 
to  appear  before  the  Board  of  which  he  was  a  member 
at  three  o'clock  p.  m.  on  the  following  day  and  answer 
certain  charges  which  had  been  preferred  against  him. 

"If  the  charges  against  you  are  true"  continued 
the  notice,  "you  will  be  deposed  and  stricken  from  the 
pay  rolls." 

Lowell  was  greatly  surprised  and  not  a  little  agi- 
tated. He  did  not,  however,  feel  any  guilt  in  the  mat- 
ter. Probably  the  system  had  no  more  faithful  ser- 
vitor than  he,  but  he  was  conscious  of  having  offended 
technically  against  the  law  of  his  company  in  a  manner 
which  he  had  supposed  to  be  entirely  concealed.  He 
could  hardly  credit  even  with  the  menacing  summons 
inn  is  hands  that  his  one  offence  was  known.  Yet  in 
no  other  respect  would  he  believe  he  was  under  sus- 
picion, for  he  was  otherwise  above  suspicion. 

Hoping  the  charges  against  him  might  prove  to 
be  frivolous  and  far  from  the  facts  which  he  knew  and 
feared,  he  presented  himself  at  the  hour  designated 
and  found  the  full  Board  present  awaiting  his  advent. 
Evidently  the  members  did  not  regard  the  occasion  as 
serious  and  Lowell  was  received  with  the  usual  cordial 


10  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

greetings  which  were  the  manifestations  of  his  popular- 
ity. He  lost  no  time,  however,  in  calling  for  his  in- 
dictment. When  it  was  placed  before  him  he  read  it 
eagerly  but  it  was  easy  to  see  that  he  was  greatly  dis- 
appointed and  depressed  at  what  he  read. 

"This  indictment/'  said  he,  addressing  the  Presi- 
dent, "is  very  indefinite.  It  charges  me  with  conspiring 
with  others  to  disturb  the  peace  and  good  order  of  so- 
ciety by  organizing  and  maintaining  a  fraternal  asso- 
ciation known  as  the  Reapers  of  the  World.  It  is 
signed  by  a  man  named  Hughes  whom  I  do  not  know 
and  of  whom  I  have  never  heard.  How  can  I  be  ex- 
pected to  answer  such  a  charge." 

"Mr.  Lowell,"  said  the  President,  smiling  know- 
ingly at  the  young  man,  "that  charge  is  only  serious 
if  it  is  true  and  its  truth  or  falsity  will  be  determined 
by  yourself.  You  know  Mr.  Rockefeller  regards 
labor  unions,  fraternal  orders  and  voluntary  associa- 
tions as  enemies  to  his  rule.  His  ancestors  were 
much  annoyed  by  labor  unions.  They,  however,  were 
easily  suppressed.  When  the  perfected  Merger  was 
established  these  fraternal  associations  proved  to  be 
vexatious  and  dangerous  beyond  toleration.  No  sooner 
was  one  form  eradicated  than  another  form  sprang 
into  life  and  President  Rockefeller  has  no  patience 
with  them.  But  as  a  Director  you  are  entitled  to  cer- 
tain privileges.  Your  simple  denial  is  all  the  rule  re- 
quires and  it  will  be  sufficient  to  exonerate  you." 

So  saying  the  President  placed  a  printed  form  of 
denial  on  the  table  in  front  of  which  stood  the  indicted 
Director  and  with  his  finger  indicated  where  the  latter 
should  sign. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  11 

"I  do  not  feel  inclined  to  sign  such  a  denial,"  de- 
clared Lowell  after  a  pause.  ''Whether  true  or  false, 
is  it  not  absurd  that  one  should  be  thus  restrained 
from  exercising  the  right  of  association  which  the  po- 
litical constitution  guarantees  him?  Are  we  men  and 
submit  to  be  treated  as  slaves?" 

The  President,  an  old  man  who  had  spent  his  long 
life  in  the  department  of  which  he  was  the  head, 
straightened  himself  up  and  looked  at  the  speaker  in 
amazement.  The  other  directors  who  had  been  dis- 
posed to  regard  the  arraingment  as  a  joke  at  the  expense 
of  the  accused  now  watched  the  young  man  with  aston- 
ishment and  the  aged  President  turned  pale  at  this 
unexpected  turn  affairs  had  taken. 

"What!"  exclaimed  the  latter  recovering  from 
the  shock  of  the  event — "Sir,  you  do  not — you  cannot 
mean  to  imperil  your  present  position  and  your  future 
welfare  and  security  by  so  rash  a  defiance.  Why!  sir, 
it  took  me  thirty  years  of  hard  work  to  reach  the 
station  of  director  which  you  occupy  at  twenty-five. 
Your  contract  with  this  company  is  such  that  if  you 
refuse  to  sign  that  denial  you  forfeit,  not  only  this  po- 
sition— this  high  and  honorable  position — but  every 
position.  You  will  leave  this  room  self  beggared,  an 
economic  suicide,  an  outcast." 

He  placed  his  hand  sympathetically  on  Lowell's 
arm  and  his  look  of  pain  yielded  to  one  of  compassion. 

"Sign  it,  my  boy,  sign  it,"  he  urged  pleadingly. 

Director  Lowell  was  regarded  as  a  strong  person- 
ality. He  was  recognized  as  a  force  beyond  his  years 
and  was  greatly  admired  by  his  companions  who  ex- 
pected him  to  become  a  man  of  great  note. 


12  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

These  men  who  were  his  business  associates 
were  all  his  friends  and  were  extremely  solicitous  that 
his  course  be  straight  up  to  glory  without  fault  or  de- 
fect. 

The  youth  and  beauty  of  the  accused — the  solici- 
tude of  the  venerable  President  and  the  thought  which 
suddenly  flashed  into  all  minds  that  to  be  stricken  from 
Rockefeller's  payrolls  meant  abject,  hopeless  bank- 
ruptcy, and  perhaps  worse,  converted  an  otherwise 
commonplace  scene  into  one  of  tragic  meaning. 

After  a  few  seconds  of  meditation  Lowell  lifted 
his  eyes  from  the  table  and  looked  into  the  face  of  the 
President. 

"I  am  sorry"  he  said,  "but  I  cannot  bring  my 
mind  to  comply  with  your  request.  I  know  you  intend 
it  for  my  welfare,  but  it  is  impossible.  This  curtail- 
ment of  personal  liberty  by  President  Rockefeller  is 
unbearable.  Why  should  he  enter  into  the  private  and 
unimportant  details  of  one's  life  and  seek  to  regulate 
them?  My  refusal  to  sign  is  not  an  admission  that  I 
am  a  member  of  a  fraternal  society,  but  is  made  be- 
cause I  am  unwilling,  in  free  America,  to  submit  to 
such  a  limitation.  I  have  never  considered  it  before, 
Mr.  President,  but  now  it  is  made  an  issue  with  me  I 
am  unable  to  suppress  my  Americanism.  I  know 
what  it  means.  I  am  at  issue  with  a  power  which 
crushes.  Perhaps  I  may  escape  the  dire  consequences 
which  you  anticipate  for  me  and  perhaps  not,  but  I 
have  stated  my  position  and  I  will  not  recede  from  it. 
Neither  will  I  resign,"  he  added. 

The  President  picked  up  the  oath  of  denial  and 
with  a  gesture  of    impatience    and    dsepair    seated 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  13 

himself  at  the  table.  "Very  well,"  he  exclaimed  des- 
perately, "you  have  none  to  blame  but  yourself." 

Rapping  loudly  on  the  table  with  his  gavel  he  then 
called  the  directors  to  order  and  while  Lowell  contin- 
ued standing,  stated  the  case  again. 

"Your  duty  is  plain,  hentlemen.  However  much 
we  may  regret  the  stand  Director  Lowell  has  taken  and 
the  fact  that  he  persists  in  his  fault,  his  refusal  to  deny 
his  complicity  as  charged,  must  be  regarded  as  a  con- 
fession and  he  cannot  escape  punishment." 

A  motion  was  made  to  declare  the  position  of  di- 
rector occupied  by  Alden  Lowell  vacant  and  was  car- 
ried unanimously. 

"This  action"  declared  the  President  coldly 
"means  that  although  you  have  a  right  of  appeal  that 
you  are  now  expelled  from  this  Board  and  can  only  be 
restored  by  the  action  of  President  Morgan  Rocke- 
feller himself.  You  are  no  longer  entitled  to  be  present 
at  any  of  our  meeetings." 

"I  shall  not  appeal,"  replied  Lowell  bowing  re- 
spectfully, as  he  left  the  room. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  OUTCAST. 

Boston,  in  1990  was  a  tangle  of  streets  and  a  tumble 
of  buildings  as  in  the  old  days  of  the  former  century. 
Some  suggestions  of  the  new  and  artistic  Boston  of 
today  were  manifested  in  the  huge  department  stores 
constructed  along  the  well  known  lines  of  Rockefeller 
architecture. 

There  were  landmarks  two  centuries  old  which 
Boston  sentiment  would  not  permit  to  be  disturbed. 

The  Standard  Oil  Building,  in  which  were  the 
headquarters  of  the  Merger  for  Massachusetts,  was 
the  most   massive  structure  in  the  modern  city. 

When  Lowell,  minus  his  title  "Director"  and  with- 
out place  in  the  system,  left  the  office  of  the  company 
on  that  fateful  day,  he  understood  but  did  not  realize 
the  precariousness  of  his  position.  As  he  passed  into 
the  street,  shorn  of  authority  and  cast  out,  so  to  speak, 
he  did  not  know  whether  to  feel  crushed  or  not.  He 
had  clearly  enough  represented  to  himself  the  extreme 
danger  which  confronted  him,  but  he  was  so  habituated 
to  the  security  which  he  had  always  enjoyed,  that  con- 
fidence did  not  at  once  forsake  him. 

He  knew  what  an  outcast  was  and  even  contem- 
plated the  possibility  of  becoming  one.  But  to  behold 
such  a  fate  afar  off  and  to  actually  experience  it,  are 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  15 

very  different  things.  There  were,  in  those  days, 
many  outcasts  in  Boston  who  were  more  or  less 
dependent  on  charity — the  charity  of  Standard's  em- 
ployes. They  were,  however,  regarded  as  objects 
of  either  pity  or  aversion  according  as  they  were 
harmless  or  vicious.  Commercially  they  were  toler- 
ated because  of  the  commandment  "Thou  shalt  not 
kill."  Politically  they  were  permitted  to  vote  at  elec- 
tions, but  although  their  votes  were  religiously  counted 
it  was  of  no  importance  to  the  Merger  how  they  were 
cast  as  all  candidates  were  primarily  dictated  by  it. 
Probably  this  outcast  element  numbered  less  than 
fifteen  per  cent  of  Boston's  population,  and  if  they 
followed  any  other  occupation  than  professional  beg- 
gary or  crime,  it  was  something  far  beneath  the  dig- 
nity of  the  Merger.  Along  legitimate  lines  Standard 
disdained  nothing. 

Even  the  roasting  of  chestnuts  was  standardized. 

In  the  economic  system  of  the  Rockefeller  creation 
there  were  no  saloons.  Its  departmetn  stores  included 
a  drug  department  where  distilled  liquors  were  sold 
only  as  drugs.  The  Rockefellers  all  contended  that 
as  a  commercial  proposition,  healthy  appetites  and 
sober  minds  must  prove  far  more  profitable  than  dis- 
eased inebriates  without  appetites. 

It  was  from  such  a  system  that  Lowell  had  just 
been  thrust. 

It  was  into  such  a  nondescript  mass  that  Lowell 
presently   realized   he   had   been   summarily   hurled. 

The  great  question  "What  to  do?"  pressed  vitally 
and  viciously  for  an  answer. 


16  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

These  outcasts,  some  of  them,  were  able  to  pick 
up  a  few  pennies  here  and  there  by  shining  shoes,  ped- 
dling books,  selling  lemonade  or  doing  odd  jobs  as  por- 
ters. Criminally  disposed  persons  continued  to  prey 
upon  and  annoy  the  industrious  and  "regular"  classes 
and  were  subjected  to  and  punished  by  the  laws  de- 
signed for  their  suppression.  These  were  all  outcasts 
and  as  such  were  regarded  by  the  police  as  likely,  by 
virtue  of  their  desperate  position  economically,  to  be- 
come enemies  of  or  pests  within  the  social  order. 

The  outlook  was  certainly  discouraging  for  Lo- 
well. As  he  moved  on  through  the  crowded  thorough- 
fare his  mind,  which  had  accepted  the  judgment  of  his 
associates  with  apparent  complacency,  began  to  waver. 
The  problem  would  have  presented  only  a  pleasant 
exercise  and  the  difficulty  would  have  seemed  like  an 
exciting  adventure,  if  every  step  he  took,  every  scene 
he  beheld,  every  street,  building,  sign  and  human 
face  did  not  spell  "doom"  for  him. 

He  had  no  destination.  Involuntarily  and  un- 
consciously he  strayed  into  the  beautiful  public  gar- 
dens. It  was  a  perfect  day  and  nature  was  glorious 
with  the  delights  of  Spring.  But  the  bright  green 
lawns,  the  budding  flowers  and  the  singing  birds  were 
all  unnoticed.  Who  could  think  of  nature,  however 
delightful,  in  the  presence  of  disgrace.  Who  could 
enjoy  the  songs  and  sights  of  Spring,  however  en- 
trancing, if  an  economic  vice  were  pinching  life 
out  of  every  hope.  The  more  he  considered  his 
predicament  the  more  desperate  it  seemed.  He  was 
like  all  men  except  the  Master,  without  property  and 
had  only  enough  funds  to  support  him  two  or  three 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  17 

months  at  the  most.  He  was  without  resources,  be- 
cause resources  were  all  controlled  by  the  system  and 
the  system  had  been,  by  him,  mortally  offended.  He 
had  no  way  of  obtaining  an  income.  The  more  he 
deliberated  the  more  useless  deliberation  seemed  to  be. 
His  condition  was  desperate  indeed. 

At  last  he  turned  his  steps  homeward — homeward 
to  the  Standard  Junior  Hotel  in  which  he  had  lived 
now  for  several  years.  He  almost  ran  and  a  number  of 
people  whom  he  jostled  in  the  crowded  streets,  stopped 
and  looked  after  him  as  after  a  madman. 

When  he  reached  his  hotel  the  clerk  handed  him  a 
letter  which  he  opened  and  read  immediately.  "Good" 
he  exclaimed  to  himself  when  he  had  finished  "I  had 
entirely  forgotten.  There  lies  my  hope  and  I  will 
surely  be  there." 


CHAPTER  VI. 
THE  REAPERS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

The  Reverend  William  Fuller  occupied  rooms 
on  Court  Street  in  the  heart  of  the  City  of  Boston. 
In  former  years  the  street  was  a  legal  center  and  the 
upper  rooms  used  as  lawyers'  offices. 

The  little  dingy  outer  room  of  Mr.  Fuller's  suite 
was  that  evening  the  scene  of  a  devout  gathering. 
The  lights  were  dim  and  the  pastor  and  his  people 
spoke  very  low.  They  came  together  for  prayer  and 
spiritual  communion.  Such,  at  least,  would  be  the 
opinion  of  a  stranger  if  any  should  chance  to  enter. 
But  there  were  not  more  than  eight,  mostly  ladies, 
who  in  somber  dress  with  serious  and  thoughtful  faces 
listened  to  their  reverend  leader  or  bowed  their  heads 
in  prayer. 

One  of  Standard's  large  detective  force  had 
been  watching  the  people  as  they  entered  Rev.  Mr. 
Fuller's  apartments.  Finally  it  occurred  to  him  that 
he  would  step  in  himself.  So  he  left  the  shadow  of 
Court  Square  and  crossing  Court  Street  went  into  the 
little  prayer  meeting.  Hughes,  the  detective  was 
surprised  to  find  so  few  in  the  room  for  he  could  have 
taken  an  oath  that  he  had  counted  one  hundred  per- 
sons going  through  that  particular  door  and  he  had 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  19 

expected  to  find  quite  a  crowded  meeting.  He  went 
in  and  sat  down,  for  his  curiosity  was  aroused  and  he 
decided  to  watch.  As  he  sat  down  one  of  the  worship- 
ers arose,  and  retired  to  the  anteroom  so  that  the  num- 
ber in  the  little  room  remained  the  same. 

Hughes  noticed  Alden  Lowell,  until  that  morning 
a  Director  of  the  New  England  Furniture  Manufact- 
uring Company,  come  quietly  in  and  sit  down.  He 
also  noticed  that  he  did  not  remain  seated  long,  but 
soon  arose  and  went  to  one  of  the  side  doors  which  he 
opened  and  passed  through.  Lowell  was  known  to 
most  Bostonians  as  the  son  of  Exmore  Lowell  who  was, 
in  his  lifetime,  one  of  New  England's  most  prominent 
men.  Hughes,  who  was  aware  that  Alden  had  been 
that  day  deposed  and  who,  as  one  of  the  ferrets  of  the 
Rockefeller  system,  already  classed  him  with  the  out- 
casts and  dangerous  to  the  social  order,  became  sus- 
picious. He  went  to  the  door  through  which  Alden 
had  passed  and  tried  it.  But  it  did  not  yield  to  his 
pressure.  He  returned  and  seated  himself.  As  for 
those  engaged  in  the  devotional  exercises  they  did  not 
look  to  the  right  or  left  but  seemed  to  be  lost  in  religious 
meditation. 

What  had  become  of  Alden? 

The  man  who  rose  and  passed  out  as  Hughes  en- 
tered the  meeting,  had  in  fact  recognized  the  visitor 
and  stepped  out  to  warn  all  who  might  come,  that  a 
spy  was  among  them.  When  Alden  arrived  he  was 
advised  to  pass  in  and  sit  down,  then,  after  a  few  min- 
utes to  join  the  company  within.  As  Hughes  vaguely 
suspected,  the  prayer  meeting  was  a  blind. 


20  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

When  Alden  left  the  prayer  meeting  he  found 
himself  alone  in  a  small  room.  It  was  without  lights 
and  he  groped  his  way  across  to  another  door.  Here 
he  pressed  a  hidden  button  twice  and,  thereupon,  a 
little  aperture  just  large  enough  to  admit  his  hand 
was  opened  in  the  door.  He  thrust  his  hand  through 
and,  the  person  in  charge  being  apparently  satisfied, 
the  door  was  opened  and  he  was  admitted.  The  door 
was  closed  after  him,  but  nobody  appeared  to  greet 
him.  There  were  white  masks  and  white  robes  hang- 
ing on  the  wall.  He  took  one  of  each  and  covering  his 
face  with  the  mask  and  donning  the  robe,  went  to  an- 
other room  and  opening  an  aperture  in  that,  thrust  his 
hand  through  as  before.  Again  the  door  opened  and 
he  entered  a  dark  room,  stopping  just  inside  the 
portal.  Thereupon  a  voice  spoke  in  evidently  dis- 
guised tones,  as  follows: 

"Alden  Lowell,  repeat  after  me: 

"I,  Alden  Lowell,  swear  on  my  honor  as  a  Reaper 
of  the  World  that  I  will  never  repeat,  except  in  a  hall 
of  the  Reapers  of  the  World,  anything  which  I  hear  or 
read  or  say  in  this  hall  tonight;  I  further  agree  to  sub- 
mit to  that  rule  of  the  order  which  says,  'Whoever, 
having  become  a  member  of  the  Reapers  of  the  World 
shall  sue  said  order  or  cause  the  same  to  be  sued,  in 
any  court  of  law,  or  who  shall  make  or  cause  to  be 
made  any  complaint  against  it  which  shall  be  designed 
or  intended  to  bring  it  to  the  notice  of  the  Government 
of  any  city  or  state  or  of  the  Federal  Government  or  the 
military  authorities,  so  that  any  proceeding  shall  be 
instituted  against  it  with  a  view  to  depriving  it  of  its 
property,   disbanding  it,   or  punishing  its  members, 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  21 

shall  be  deemed  a  traitor  to  the  order  and  shall  be  de- 
livered over  to  the  Avengers  to  be  dealt  with  as  they 
shall    deem    best.'  " 

This  oath  having  been  taken,  the  voice  thereupon 
then  continued: 

"The  Avengers  will  now  step  forward  and  repeat 
the  oath   of  vengance." 

Thereupon  six  masked  figures  stepped  forward 
and  ranging  themselves  in  front  of  Alden  chanted  the 
oath  as  follows: 

"We,  the  Avengers,  love  one  another  and  love  all  our 
brethren,  but  the  enemy  of  love  is  the  traitor.  It  is 
only  against  such  that  our  vengeance  shall  be  wreaked. 
We  swear  that  if  any  man,  having  become  a  member 
of  the  Reapers  of  the  World,  shall  sue  the  order  in  the 
courts  or  shall  seek  its  injury  by  placing  it  at  the  mercy 
of  the  authorities,  such  person  shall  be,  by  us,  destroyed. 
Traitors  shall  not  live." 

This  Avengers'  oath  was  chanted  in  a  slow  meas- 
ured and  almost  weirdly  impressive  tone  and  in  per- 
fect unison.  Immediately  on  its  conclusion  the  lights 
went  out  and  the  room  became  dark  again.  When,  in 
three  minutes  the  lights  were  again  turned  on,  the  as- 
sembled people,  men  and  women,  had  removed  the 
white  robes  and  masks  and  fallen  back  to  the  rear  and 
sides  of  the  hall.  Not  one  knew  the  part  the  others 
had  played  in  the  ceremony  of  opening. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  LADY  HARVESTER. 

The  Hall  of  the  Reapers  of  the  World  was  crowded 
to  its  greatest  capacity.  In  fact  it  was  not  a  hall,  but 
two  rooms  which  opened  into  each  other.  There  were 
more  than  a  hundred  men  and  women  present. 

The  presiding  officer  was  a  woman. 

She  was  robed  in  white,  and  around  her  head  was 
a  gold  band  above  which  a  star  glistened. 

In  her  hand  she  held  a  sickle-shaped  gavel. 

The  routine  business  was  taken  up  first  and  dis- 
posed of. 

It  was  noted  by  Alden  who  was  new  to  the  order, 
and  who  was  therefore  an  interested  observer,  that  one 
of  the  reports  offered  showed  that  the  order  in  the  nation 
contained  some  five  thousand  members,  most  of  whom 
still  occupied  positions  in  the  system. 

The  same  report  showed  that  the  organization 
had  been  in  existence  four  years.  Each  member  paid 
one  dollar  per  month  into  what  was  called  'The  Trust 
Fund"  and  fifty  cents  into  the  expense  fund. 

The  trust  fund  now  amounted  to  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars  and  was  increased  in  the  last  month 
by  five  thousand  dollars. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  23 

The  lady  who  presided  was  a  Miss  Channing  and 
was  addressed  as  "Lady  Harvester"  by  those  who 
desired  recognition  from  that  officer. 

While  not  very  tall  she  was  a  little  above  medium 
height.  She  was  graceful,  quick,  firm  and  resourceful. 
Her  voice  was  soft  and  low  as  she  spoke,  and  had  a 
wonderful  cadence  that  held  the  attention  and  fascina- 
ted the  listener.  Her  words  were  apt  and  picturesque. 
She  presided  with  the  dignity  of  a  queen. 

"The  Order  of  the  Reapers  of  the  World,"  she  said 
when  the  report  mentioned  was  finished,  "is  entitled 
to  congratulations. 

"It  has  increased  its  membership  in  spite  of  drastic 
prohibitory  legislation,  by  more  than  two  thousand 
since  a  year  ago. 

"We  have  reason  to  expect  it  to  double  during  the 
coming  year. 

"Think,  Reapers,  what  marvels  can  be  accom- 
plished by  combined  effort. 

"The  Reapers  of  the  World  do  not  design  to  dis- 
turb society. 

"They  do  not  intend  to  change  the  system. 

"They  have  no  fight  against  Morgan  Rockefeller, 
the  Standard  Oil  Company  or  the  methods  by  which 
they  have  achieved  results. 

"Once,  in  times  past,  back  in  1908  for  instance, 
the  several  departments  of  industry  were  owned  by 
certain  individuals.  John  D.  Rockefeller  was  then 
the  head  of  that  particular  industry  which  controlled 
the  production  and  distribution  of  oil.  But  what  did 
Rockefeller  get  out  of  it?  One  man's  portion  only!  He 
could  not  eat  more  than  one  man's  portion.     He  could 


24  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

wear  only  one  suit  of  clothes  at  a  time.  He  occupied 
but  one  bed,  one  house,  one  man's  space.  Wealth 
might  multiply  around  him,  but  capacity  and  import- 
ance never  became  enlarged  except  by  fiction. 

"What  did  this  vast  wealth  bring  him?  Simply 
burdens.  He  merely  kept  the  books  for  the  industry 
he  represented  and  his  great  distinction  was  that  he 
provided  a  system  of  bookkeeping  which  excelled  all 
others.  Carnegie  did  the  same  for  the  iron  industry. 
Havemeyer  and  Spreckles  for  sugar,  Weyerhauser  and 
a  few  others  for  lumber,  F.  H.  Peavy  &  Company  for 
wheat  and  Harriman  for  the  railroads.  The  leger- 
demain of  bookkeeping,  better  bookkeeping  than  the 
smaller  men  used,  enabled  these  several  men  to  figure 
the  masses  out  of  the  control.  Finally  they  figured 
against  one  another.  The  Rockefellers  were  the  best 
bookkeepers  and  hence  are  now  keeping  the  books  for 
all  America.     It  is  the  survival  of  the  fittest. 

"But  one  thing  thou  lackest,  0  Rockefeller!  Thou 
lackest  Brotherly  Love! 

"The  growing  trusts  seemed  evil.  They  grew  fat 
on  interest,  rent  and  profits.  Had  mankind  known 
the  truth,  they  would  have  known  that  if  God  permitted 
a  thing  to  exist  which  appeared  evil,  He  also  provided 
a  complete  remedy,  close  at  hand,  for  that  evil.  When 
the  remedy  was  applied  the  evil  ceased. 

"By  carefully  searching  history  we  shall  find  that  in 
1908  the  organizations  of  capital  which  challenged 
attention,  developed  side  by  side  with  massive,  won- 
derful organizations  of  men  and  women  who  were  not 
capitalists.  Labor  was  organized  into  unions.  They 
were  merely  militant  forces.     Their  mission  was  to 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  25 

compel  capital  to  permit  them  to  share  in  the  three 
evils,  interest,  rent  and  profits.  Fraternal  associations 
were  organized.  In  1908  most  of  the  people  were 
members  of  one  or  two  of  the  fraternal  orders  then  ex- 
isting. But  the  fraternal  orders  did  not  understand 
their  own  greatness  and  their  members  timidly  advanced 
with  them  into  business.  They  were  the  greatest 
collectors  of  capital  the  world  ever  saw.  They  were 
the  greatest  and  most  honorable  distributors  of  capi- 
tal the  system  ever  developed. 

"At  the  time  when  the  Northern  Securities  Com- 
pany was  formed  eighty  seven  years  ago  the  Indepen- 
dent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen 
numbered  from  half  a  million  to  a  million  members 
each. 

"The  Northern  Securities  Company  held  the  ma- 
jority of  the  capital  stock  of  three  great  railroad  com- 
panies, the  Northern  Pacific,  the  Great  Northern  and 
the  Burlington. 

"But  the  holding  company  controlled  the  selec- 
tion of  their  directors. 

"It  also  collected  the  dividends  due  on  the  stock 
it  held. 

"It  simplified  book  keeping. 

"It  applied  a  scientific,  impersonal  system  to  the 
absorption  of  the  rent,  profits  and  interest  which  might 
be  received  by  the  railroad  companies. 

"It  relieved  the  active  companies  of  certain  vexa- 
tions, but  did  not  interfere  with  their  practical  work. 

"If  the  fifteen  million  voters  of  America  had  been 
formed  into  a  fraternal  order  at  that  time  and  as  such 


26  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

had  owned  the  stock  of  the  three  companies  in  the 
place  of  the  Northern  Securities  Company,  no  objec- 
tion could  have  been  made  to  their  fraternal  merger. 

"What  would  it  have  meant? 

"Suppose  the  fifteen  million  had  paid  a  dollar 
each  into  a  trust  fund  every  month,  as  we  are  doing. 

"In  a  month  they  would  have  accumulated  fifteen 
million  dollars. 

"In  two  months  it  would  have  been  thirty  million 
dollars. 

"In  a  year  it  would  have  been  one  hundred  and 
eighty  million  dollars. 

"In  ten  years  it  would  have  been  one  billion  eight 
hundred  million  dollars. 

"At  no  period  in  American  history  has  so  much 
money  as  one  billion  eight  hundred  million  dollars 
been  in  actual  circulation. 

"Thus,  such  a  fraternal  association  would  have 
been  in  complete  control  of  one  of  the  necessary  parts 
of  the  machinery  of  commercial  society,  and  all  of  that 
machinery  would  be  subject  to  its  action. 

"Fraternal  organizations  were  timid.  They 
feared  to  become  revolutionary.  They  declined  to 
enlarge  their  purpose  beyond  the  temporary  relief 
of  their  members  against  sickness  and  death. 

"They  surrendered  the  power  of  economic  revo- 
lution to  the  Rockefellers  and  these  latter  became  the 
most  successful  revolutionists  the  world  has  ever  seen. 
What  the  Rockefellers  accomplished,  namely,  the  eco- 
nomic conquest  of  the  nation  by  correct  and  simple 
bookkeeping,  carefully  accounting  for  the  rent,  profits 
and  interest  of  the  system,  might  have  been  accom- 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  27 

plished  in  the  same  way  by  a  fraternal  order.  Rent, 
profits  and  interest,  the  unfair  distribution  of  which 
renders  society  unequal  and  unjust,  could  have  been 
turned  as  dividends  on  stock,  into  a  fraternal  treasury 
instead  of  an  autocratic  purse,  and  the  just  division 
of  these  three  surplus  accumulations  among  the  fra- 
ternal members,  would  have  been  a  solution  of  eco- 
nomic evils. 

"What  would  Jesus  propose  in  such  a  social  state? 

"Would  he  not  have  said  that  this  was  scientific 
brotherly  love?  Would  he  not  have  declared  that 
Caesar  should  have  only  a  brother's  part  and  that 
what  part  was  Caesar's  as  a  brother's,  should  be  rendered 
unto  him? 

"It  is  not  too  late  for  us  to  induce  the  great  body 
of  the  one  hundred  and  eighty  million  people  of  the 
United  States  to  enter  our  order,  the  Reapers  of  the 
World,  and  we  shall  be  able  to  develop  Christ's  spirit 
in  the  economic  system,  so  that  it  shall  not  be  said 
as  it  can  be  said  to  President  Rockefeller,  one  thing 
thou  lackest.  Let  us  solve  this  problem  on  the  basis 
of  brotherly  love.  Again,  I  congratulate  you  on  the 
growth  of  our  order." 

Alden,  in  common  with  the  others  present,  listened 
to  these  remarks  of  the  Lady  Harvester,  with  delight. 
She  was  so  young,  so  beautiful  and  at  the  same  time 
so  intelligent,  that  with  the  star  glistening  above  her 
forehead  and  the  white  robe  of  her  office  adding  to  her 
naturally  regal  bearing,  she  seemed  to  him  as  one  de- 
scended from  above  to  bring  again  to  earth  the  divine 
message  of  fraternal  love.  He  could  not  forbear  to  say, 
when  the  presiding  officer  seated  herself,  that  the  bright 


28  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

star  which  glistened  in  her  helmet,  representing  the 
star  of  Bethlehem,  might  still  be  the  guiding  star  of 
mankind.    "This  remedy"  he  said  "is  Christ's  remedy." 

"It  is  two  thousand  years  old.  But  men  have  per- 
sisted in  misapplying  it.  They  want  us  to  believe  that 
it  belongs  to  heaven,  not  to  earth.  They  assure  us 
that  it  is  not  practical. 

"I  say  that  it  is  the  only  thing  in  this  complex 
system,  this  confusion  of  ideas,  this  false  theory  of 
right  and  wrong,  that  is  practical. 

"All  else  leads  to  disaster. 

"Henceforth  I  shall  devote  my  life  to  fraternal 
bookkeeping  as  proposed  by  this  order,  against  auto- 
cratic bookkeeping  as  proposed  and  enforced  by  Mor- 
gan Rockefeller  and  the  Standard  Oil  Company.  But 
I  honor  Rockefeller  and  his  company  for  the  method 
which  they  have  introduced,  while  I  fall  at  the  feet  of 
Christ  and  reverence  and  adore  that  divine  spirit  which 
has  given  the  world  its  only  hope  of  salvation." 


CHAPTER    VIII. 
THE  ESTATE'S  FERRET. 

The  Reapers  transacted  much  business  that  even- 
ing. When  at  last  the  meeting  adjourned  the  prayer 
meeting  adjourned,  too.  Dectective  Hughes  remained 
to  the  end. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Fuller  was  well  aware  of  Hughes' 
presence.  He  saw  no  way,  however,  to  avoid  it  and, 
as  there  was  but  one  exit  for  the  lodge,  he  decided  to 
resort  to  a  ruse  to  throw  the  detective  off  the  scent. 

He  did  not  know  that  Hughes  was  a  detective  but 
because  he  was  a  stranger  and  so  under  suspicion,  the 
pastor  decided  on  his  course.  He  recalled  the  fact 
that  only  one  member,  Alden  Lowell,  had  entered  the 
inner  rooms  since  Hughes  came  in.  Accordingly  when 
the  little  electric  bell  on  his  desk  announced  to  the 
initiated  that  the  lodge  meeting  was  over,  he  quickly 
entered  the  inner  room  and  notified  the  members  that 
a  stranger  was  suspiciously  watchful  in  the  chapel. 

Having  put  his  brethren  on  their  guard  and  in- 
duced them,  except  Lowell,  to  delay  their  appearance 
in  the  chapel,  he  and  Lowell  came  out  together  and  the 
pastor  engaged  Hughes  in  conversation  and  prepared 
to  close  the  place.  Hughes  took  the  hint  to  depart, 
and  left,  but  arriving  in  the  street,  instead  of  going  his 
way  as  the  pastor  supposed,  concealed  himself  in  an 


30  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

alley  where  he  could  continue  his  investigations  with- 
out being  observed. 

In  twos  and  fours  the  Reapers  left  their  rendezvous 
in  such  manner  as  they  supposed  would  attract  the 
least  possible  attention. 

Lowell  waited  for  Miss  Channing,  who  was  a  zeal- 
ous devotee  of  the  order  to  which  she  belonged,  and  as 
its  chieftainess  was  in  demand  by  many  and  surrounded 
by  admiring  throngs.  She  was  the  last  to  say  "good 
night"  to  the  Reverend  Mr.  Fuller  and  then  joining 
her  escort,  together  they  took  the  subway  car  to  Water- 
town  where  Miss  Channing  resided. 

Unobserved  by  them  the  detective  quietly  seated 
himself  where  he  could  hear  their  conversation. 

"You  seem  to  be  very  serious  tonight,  Mr.  Lowell," 
remarked  the  young  lady. 

"Do  I?"  said  he.  "Perhaps  I  have  reason  enough 
to  be"  he  continued.  "Today  I  ceased  to  be  a  Direc- 
tor of  the  Standard  System." 

The  young  lady  gave  him  a  half  frightened  look. 
If  in  1910  a  young  man  had  said  to  his  lady  love  that 
he  had  that  day  assaulted  and  choked  his  employer, 
she  would  not  have  been  more  startled.  If  he  had  told 
her  he  had  lost  all  his  fortune  and  was  now  penniless 
the  girl  of  1910  would  have  been  inclined  to  pledge  her 
love  anew  in  the  firm  belief  that  opportunities  to  suc- 
ceed were  still  at  their  disposal. 

But  to  lose  fortune,  honor,  position  and  prospects 
—that   was    Lowell's    predicament.     Miss    Channing 
did  not  shrink  from  him.     Perhaps  she  had  never  re- 
garded him  in  the  light  of  a  suitor  and  perhaps  she  was 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  31 

not  as  prudent  and  wise  as  her  predecessors  of  a  former 
century. 

"Why,  Mr.  Lowell!"  is  all  she  could  think  of  to 
say. 

"Yes,"  continued  Lowell.  "I  am  cast  out  — cash- 
iered— expelled,  sent  like  the  lepers  of  old  Jerusalem 
to  live  with  the  dead,  among  the  tombs,  so  to  speak. 
Do  you  not  realize  how  loathesome  I  have  become?" 

The  young  lady  looked  pityingly  at  her  companion. 

"Was  it  because  you  have  been  discovered? 
Do  they  know  you  are  a  member  of  our  order?"  she 
asked. 

"Even  so,"  replied  he  with  an  expression  of  des- 
perate resignation  as  his  eyes  met  hers.  "I  did  not 
admit  that  I  was  a  member.  The  company  could  not 
punish  me  for  punishment  does  not  belong  to  it — but 
should  it  some  day  become  one  with  the  government 
I  suppose  it  will  hang  such  traitors  as  I  am."  The  last 
words  were  spoken  very  bitterly. 

"Is  it  not  already  one  with  the  government?" 
she  argued.  "Is  it  not  worse  than  that?  The  govern- 
ment is  its  creature.  But  the  government  can  not  in- 
flict, in  these  days,  such  a  punishment  as  this  company 
inflicts.  Public  opinion  would  never  permit  the  govern- 
ment to  sentence  even  the  most  hardened  criminal  to 
death  by  starvation.  Yet  the  company  can  do  that 
practically    and    effectively." 

The  conversation  was  discouraging  and  the  young 
lady  saw  the  look  of  despair  which  came  over  his  face. 

"Somehow  I  have  no  fear  for  your  future  in  spite 
of  the  situation,  Mr.  Lowell,"  she  said;  "but  have 
you  no  plans?" 


32  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

Lowell  had  no  plans. 

"I  have  a  little  money,"  said  he.  "Enough  to 
last  me  a  few  months  if  I  have  no  unusual  expense.  I 
hardly  know  what  to  do  when  that  is  gone.  It  occurred 
to  me  that  I  might  go  to  Colorado  or  Alaska  and  search 
for  gold.  " 

"Or  perhaps  we  might  make  you  a  paid  lecturer 
of  our  order.  It  is  almost  large  enough  to  warrant  such 
a  department,"  suggested  Miss  Channing. 

"I  have  not  dared  to  think  of  any  position  which 
would  make  me  dependent  on  the  order."  Lowell 
paused  as  if  revolving  the  subject  in  his  mind.  "I 
would  like  to  have  you  advise  me  on  another  matter 
that  I  have  been  considering.  You  know  I  have  been 
at  work  on  an  instrument  which  I  call  a  mirage  re- 
flector." 

Miss  Channing  had  been  interested  for  some  time 
in  the  experiment  which  Mr.  Lowell  had  explained  to 
her  and  had  witnessed  some  of  his  trials.  She  was  not 
apprised  as  to  the  extent  of  his  success. 

"It  now  occurs  to  me,"  she  said,  "that  you  could 
spend  some  time  during  the  next  few  months  perfect- 
ing your  invention.  I  thought  when  I  saw  it  some 
weeks  ago  that  you  were  near  success.  Of  course  I 
know  little  about  so  abstruse  a  subject  but  I  think  you 
can  make  a  great  name  for  yourself  if  you  can  work 
your  idea  out  thoroughly.  You  ought  to  offer  it  to 
Morgan  Rockefeller  personally." 

"That  is  just  what  I  was  intending  to  ask  your 
opinion  about,"  returned  Lowell.  "I  have  completed 
the  instrument  so  that  now  we  are  sure  that  it  will  be  a 
success.     I  can  do  wonders  with  it  now  and  by  simply 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  33 

invoking  the  principle  of  the  mirage,  can,  in  the  proper 
atmospheric  conditions,  reproduce  in  the  narrow  limits 
of  my  chamber,  any  scene  in  the  world.  I  thought 
our  order  might  want  it,  but  of  course  it  is  not  finan- 
cially strong  enough  to  use  it  now.  Besides  it  would 
have  to  deal  with  Standard  and  that  is  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. If  I  offer  it  to  Standard  it  will  be  another  instru- 
mentality of  concentration  for  it  will  make  all  the 
world  subject  to  its  observation  at  a  moment's  notice. 
Nothing  can  escape  it.  To  Omnipotence  will  be  added 
Omniscience." 

Miss  Channing  had  listened  in  astonishment  to 
this  statement.  She  believed  it  was  absolutely  true, 
for  she  had  witnessed  enough  of  the  young  man's  ex- 
periments to  be  able  to  anticipate  something  of  his 
expectations. 

"Still,  Mr.  Lowell,"  she  said,  "I  think  you  had 
best  offer  your  invention  to  Standard.  You  must  take 
care  of  yourself  and  you  ought  to  go  to  St.  Louis  and  see 
Mr.  Rockefeller  personally.  Your  father's  great  in- 
fluence with  him  and  the  profound  friendship  the  Pres- 
ident had  for  him  will  find  a  place  for  you,  especially 
if  you  can  bring  a  valuable  invention  like  the  reflector 
to  him." 

Just  then  the  train  stopped  at  Watertown.  As 
the  two  left  the  car  a  small  man  brushed  by  them  and 
gazed  into  the  young  lady's  face  which  the  radium 
light  of  the  station  lighted  up.  A  look  of  surprise 
came  into  the  little  man's  eyes.  Lowell  noticed  the 
movement  and  scowled  at  the  intruder  angrily  but  the 
latter  stepped  back  and  gave  no  further  offense. 


34  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

A  short  time  after,  when  Lowell  returned  to  the 
station  alone  the  little  man  was  still  there.  He  had 
carefully  marked  in  his  memory  the  hotel  where  the 
young  lady  resided.  He  stepped  up  to  Lowell  as  the 
latter  paced  the  platform  waiting  for  the  train  and 
asked  what  time  the  next  train  was  due  to  the  city. 
Lowell  answered  him  shortly,  repelling  any  attempt 
at  closer  acquaintance.  When  the  train  arrived  each 
found  his  own  place  in  the  car  and  both  returned  to 
their  respective  homes. 

But  the  detective  was  elated. 

He  had  made  a  discovery. 

"I  will  have  to  befriend  that  young  man",  he  said 
to  himself.  "He  is  a  little  grouty  now  but  that  is  not 
surprising.  I  see  that  his  action  in  quitting  his  place 
on  the  Board  was  not  as  foolish  as  I  suspected.  Wonder 
if  he  knows  who  that  young  lady  is.  Ha,  but  I  am  as 
lucky  as  Lowell,  for  I  do  know  who  she  is.  I  will  guard 
them  both  and  this  man  Lowell  will  know  me  and  lean 
on  me  yet." 

So  the  train  rolled  on  to  its  destination. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
THE  TWO  PRESIDENTS. 

St.  Louis  had  been  the  capital  of  the  Republic  of 
North  America  for  thirty  years.  It  had  become  a  vast 
city.  Its  central  location  in  the  imperial  valley  of 
the  Mississippi  had  invited  the  establishment  of  the 
general  office  buildings  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company. 
These  two  would,  in  themselves,  have  employed  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  people  to  constitute  a  metropolitan 
city. 

It  was  admitted  the  world  over  to  be  the  most 
splendid  of  all  capital  cities,  excelling  London,  Paris 
and  Berlin  in  their  best  days. 

The  St.  Louis  of  1990  was  not  the  St.  Louis  of  1900. 

The  transformation  was  an  evolution  from  dingy 
buildings  to  magnificent  marble  palaces  and  monu- 
ments of  shining  glory. 

Here  dwelt  the  president  of  the  greatest  republic 
in  form  and  the  president  of  the  greatest  corporation 
in  fact,  the  world  had  ever  seen. 

President  Adams  was  the  political  chief  of  the 
nation. 

President  Rockefeller  was  the  industrial  chief. 

The  industrial  chief  was  the  power. 

The  political  chief  was  the  reflection  of   power. 


36  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

The  latter  never  did  anything  without  consulting  the 
former. 

The  word  of  Rockefeller  was  law  to  Adams. 

This  was  no  new  phase  of  power,  governmental  or 
industrial. 

It  has  always  been  so. 

Washington  in  his  time  consulted  the  business 
interests  and  acted  as  they  dictated. 

The  farmers  of  the  eighteenth  century  constituted 
the  business  interests  then. 

Whether  hydra-headed  or  single-headed,  whether 
scattered  or  concentrated,  whether  managed  in  a  million 
separate  parts  by  as  many  individuals  or  as  one  great 
whole  in  the  form  of  a  trust,  the  Business  Interests, 
have  always  dominated,  directed  and  determined  politi- 
cal acts  and  conditions. 

When  President  Adams  found  all  interests  united 
in  Rockefeller's  hands  he  did  neither  more  nor  less  than 
Washington  did  when  he  consulted  and  obeyed  that 
power. 

It  was  no  secret  that  Rockefeller  had  for  thirty 
years  nominated  and  elected  every  president  of  the 
Republic  P,ractically   without   opposition. 

President  Adams  was  considered  a  strong  Presi- 
dent. 

His  courage  was  unquestioned,  for  he  never  feared 
to  put  both  his  person  or  his  reputation  to  the  test  or 
subject  them  to  sacrifice  whenever  he  was  assured  that 
President    Rockefeller    approved. 

The  people  knew  this,  and  were  anxious  only  to  learn 
the  opinions  of  the  great  industrial  master  expecting 
nothing  more  and  nothing  less  than  complete  perfunc- 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  37 

tory  compliance  on  the  part  of  his  servant,  the  political 
chief. 

The  two  Presidents  were  devoted  friends. 

President  Adams,  like  all  other  people  who  re- 
garded themselves  safe  and  sane,  felt  that  President 
Rockefeller's  approbation  was  the  highest  reward  which 
he  could  hope  to  receive. 

President  Rockefeller  regarded  the  counsel  and  ad- 
vice of  his  learned  friend,  the  chief  magistrate,  as  emi- 
nently wise  and  valuable. 

In  1900  this  relation  which  the  President  of  the 
Republic  sustained  to  the  President  of  the  Standard  Oil 
Company  would  have  provoked  the  popular  wrath  and 
invited  political  destruction.  But  the  spirit  of  1990 
rose  to  the  enthusiastic  recognition  of  the  great  truth 
that  political  government  is  and  has  always  been  and 
always  must  and  will  be  subservient  to  the  economic 
system. 


CHAPTER   X. 
THE  DEATH  OF  MONEY. 

The  famous  order  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company 
dated  May  1st,  1990,  was  intended  to  be  a  complete 
demonetization  of  gold. 

Its  purpose  was  to  compel  the  gold  miners  of  Colo- 
rado, Nevada,  Utah,  South  Dakota  and  Alaska,  to 
abandon  their  quest  for  that  metal  and  take  service 
with  the  Merger. 

It  recited  that  certain  persons  were  engaged  out- 
side of  the  company's  industries  in  digging  gold  and 
exchanging  it  for  the  benefits,  pleasures,  concessions 
and  commodities,  which  were  at  the  disposal  of  the 
company. 

These  pursuits  were  pronounced  wasteful  and  un- 
reasonable and  useless  to  the  system. 

Gold  had  no  value  except  for  its  use  in  the  arts. 

As  the  company  was  the  sole  producer  and  dis- 
tributor of  all  values,  except  gold,  the  fictitious  and 
false  value  with  which  the  latter  was  invested,  was 
delusive    and  fraudulent. 

All  employes  of  the  company  and  its  servient  cor- 
porations were  instructed  by  this  order  to  accept  noth- 
ing at  any  company  store,  theatre,  house  of  amuse- 
ment or  in  any  department  of  its  activities,  except 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  39 

checks  issued  by  the  Standard  Oil  Company  for  value 
received  by  it. 

Thenceforth  no  man  who  performed  any  service 
for  the  company  should  receive  from  the  company  any 
other  pay  than  a  check  in  words  and  figures  as  follows : 

March  10,  1990,  A.  D. 

Deliver  to  the  bearer  hereof  one  dollar's  worth  of 
anything  which  the  Standard  Oil  Company  has  for  sale 
or  rent. 

Notice:  This  company  will  sell  only  commodities, 
amusements  and  transportation. 

STANDARD  OIL  COMPANY, 

Per  Morgan  Rockefeller, 
President. 

The  order  went  into  effect  at  once. 

The  result  was  that  two  thirds  of  its  value  was 
squeezed  out  of  gold. 

A  few  weeks  after  this  it  developed  that  the  quan- 
tity of  gold  available  for  the  arts  so  far  exceeded  the  de- 
mand that  the  company  declined  to  pay  more  than 
three  dollars  per  ounce  for  it. 

In  the  gold  producing  sections  the  effect  was  ap- 
palling. 

Over  one  hundred  thousand  families  were  practi- 
cally shut  off  from  supplies. 

In  the  great  city  of  Denver  the  depression  was 
felt  much  more  seriously  than  in  any  other  city,  and 
excitement  ran  high. 

A  revolution  was  threatened. 

Not  merely  the  gold  miners,  but  their  numerous 
friends  were  involved. 


40  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

Besides  this,  many  were  seduced  by  the  argument 
that  the  demonetization  of  gold  and  the  wreck  of  the 
last  remaining  independent  occupation  cut  off  the  sin- 
gle avenue  of  escape  from  the  grasp  of  Morgan  Rocke- 
feller's continental  monopoly. 

With  the  exception  of  the  trusted  agents  of  the 
company,  everybody  in  Denver  was  bitterly  hostile 
to  the  order. 

Meetings  were  held  in  the  streets  and  public 
squares. 

Orators  discussed  the  order  with  inflammatory 
fluency. 

Men  gathered  in  groups  and  gesticulated  and 
shouted  at  one  another. 

Officers  in  uniform  stood  idly  by,  not  venturing 
or  caring  to  restore  order. 

It  was  evident  that  an  outbreak  might  be  expected 
at  any  moment. 

The  people  everywhere  advocated  the  seizure  and 
confiscation  of  Standard's  property. 

Some  wanted  immediate  action. 

The  more  conservative  were  deterred  by  the  prob- 
lem of  administration  after  seizure. 

Should  the  political  government  undertake  to  do 
business? 

Should  political  socialism  be  established? 

There  were  objections  to  such  a  revolution. 

The  government  as  constituted  was  the  creature 
of  Rockefeller. 

Its  officers  were  his  agents. 

The  constitution  limited  the  powers  of  govern- 
ment. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  41 

It  could  do  no  business. 

It  was  not  needed  for  such  purpose  and  was  unfit 
for  it. 

The  administration  of  the  business  taken  over 
through  revolution  would  devolve  on  certain  heads, 
but  who  would  elect  those  heads,  how  elect  them, 
when  elect  them,  and  by  what  and  whose  authority? 

Some  favored  electing  a  man  to  whom  all  the 
Rockefeller  interests  should  be  conveyed  through  the 
employment  of  military  force.  So  habituated  had 
the  people  become  to  the  "one  man  power"  that  many 
could  conceive  no  other  way  of  operating  the  industries. 

But  sentiment  did  not,  on  the  whole,  favor  the 
selection  of  a  substitute  for  Rockefeller  and  so  the 
problem  did  not  lose  any  of  its  perplexities. 

Could  a  plan  be  formulated  whereby  to  admin- 
ister the  property  after  seizure? 

If  not,  seizure  would  be  followed  by  chaos,  anarchy 
and  disaster. 

Colorado  had  a  world  famous  orator. 

It  was  the  only  state  in  which  the  type  of  popular 
orator  represented  by  Thomas  Masterson  still  survived. 

The  Rockefeller  system  was  so  exact  and  worked 
so  effectively  elsewhere,  that  vocal  speech  was  resorted 
to  in  the  pulpit,  the  lecture  room  and  the  halls  of  justice, 
for  argument  and  teaching  only.  Oratory  was  fast  be- 
coming a  lost  art. 

No  man  had  more  influence  than  Masterson  with 
the  irregular  and  unincorporated  people  of  that  state, 
or  of  the  mining  states  of  the  west.  It  may  be  said  of 
him  that  he  was  the  last  of  the  Democrats. 


42  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

In  the  city  hall,  nominally  the  property  of  the  City 
of  Denver,  a  great  crowd  had  gathered.  Masterson  was 
there,  genial,  cordial,  familiar  and  courageous. 

When  he  mounted  the  platform  to  speak,  the  as- 
semblage rioted  in  an  excess  of  boisterous  joy  which 
they  intended  as  an  ovation. 

In  him  the  Democrat  spoke. 

The  theories  of  Jefferson,  recast  by  that  later 
Democratic  political  socializer,  Bryan,  were  dimly  sug- 
gested in  the  new  dress  with  which  custom  and  fashion 
had  habilitated  them. 

Proudly  he  assured  them  that  he  was  a  Democrat; 
that  he  believed  in  the  individual  method  of  producing 
wealth  and  distributing  it;  that  the  days  of  the  individ- 
ualist, when  each  person  had  his  separate  business,  be- 
fore the  Merger  had  absorbed  everything,  were  halcyon 
da^s;  that  then  men  were  free  and  in  competition  had 
an  incentive  to  strive  for  wealth,  for  superior  positions, 
for  rewards;  that  in  his  opinion  the  Rockefeller  interests 
should  be  seized  at  once  and  a  provisional  committee 
appointed  to  take  charge;  that  the  political  machinery 
should  be  seized  and  a  new  constitution  adopted  which 
should  provide  a  new  government;  that  the  amount  of 
wealth  each  person  should  be  permitted  to  own  ought 
to  be  limited;  that  all  the  property  seized  by  the  pro- 
visional committee  should  be  confiscated  by  the  new 
constitutional  government  and  divided  equally  among 
all  the  people  of  the  state;  that  such  division  should 
be  made  so  that  the  workers  in  any  one  department  of 
industry  might  be  able  to  carry  on  an  effective  co-part- 
nership. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  43 

The  crowd  was  completely  entranced  by  the  vivid 
picture,  which  the  orator  painted  in  glowing  and  beauti- 
ful words,  of  that  Colorado  of  1876  when  the  Demo- 
cratic system  was  active  in  its  simplest  and  purest  form. 
They  saw  again  in  imagination  the  mountains,  valleys 
and  plains  occupied  by  a  simple  and  courageous  race; 
saw  those  plains  gradually  reclaimed  from  the  wild  state, 
the  mountain  slopes  to  deepen  their  verdure  with  their 
abundance,  the  valleys  to  assume  the  rich  heritage  of  a 
cultivated  Eden.  They  saw  the  free  man,  rough-hewn 
and  mighty  in  his  strength,  contending  for  material 
things  and  growing  mightier  and  stronger  as  he  con- 
tended. And  this  was  the  best  state  of  man  "for", 
said  he,  "competition  makes  character." 

In  the  outburst  of  applause  which  greeted  the  or- 
ator when  he  finished  his  appeal,  the  voice  of  one  Social- 
ist, at  least,  was  drowned  and  only  the  close  bystanders 
heard  him  cry  out : 

"Yes,  competition  made  character.  It  made  Shy- 
lock  and  the  free-booter.  It  never  made  a  good  man 
nor  a  Christian." 

The  big  miner  next  to  the  Socialist  silenced  him 
with  a  blow. 

Resolutions  were  adopted  providing  for  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  provisional  committee  of  three  to  take 
possession  of  Standard's  property  and  organize  the  new 
state. 

This  seemed  to  have  been  fully  arranged  before- 
hand, for  Masterson,  Larrabee,  and  Toy  were  immedi- 
ately designated  as  such  committee  by  the  chairman 
and  proceeded  to  act. 


44  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

Then  began  the  enthusiasm  and  the  tumult. 
Masterson  was  made  the  head  of  the  committee  with 
the  title  of  general. 

Volunteers  were  called  for  to  assist  in  the  proposed 
seizure. 

While  the  movement  seemed  impromptu  and  vol- 
untary, in  fact  it  had  been  carefully  planned;  and  a 
large  number  of  assistants  were  busy  at  once  with  pa- 
pers to  be  signed  by  volunteers. 

Before  the  next  morning  over  twenty  thousand 
had  been  organized  into  regiments  and  companies. 


CHAPTER  XL 
THE   ESTATE'S    MILITARY   CHAMBER. 

While  these  events  were  transpiring  in  Denver, 
Morgan  Rockefeller  was  in  his  palatial  home  on  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi  above  the  capital  city. 

He  was  fully  advised  of  proceedings  in  Denver. 

The  country  west,  south  and  north  of  the  rebel- 
lious city  was  sparsely  settled  and  it  was  not  possible 
to  learn  what  the  straggling  bands  of  gold  miners  were 
doing. 

Rockefeller  did  not  underestimate  the  seriousness 
of  the  Denver  uprising.  It  affected  other  sections  sym- 
pathetically, but  so  entirely  were  those  parts  under 
monopolistic  control  that  he  apprehended  no  danger 
there. 

The  general  of  the  Army  of  the  Republic  of  North 
America,  General  Edison  Grant,  was  a  man  of  note  in 
two  spheres. 

He  was  a  commanding  general  and  a  great  inventor. 
As  an  inventor  he  was  known  only  to  the  near  counsel- 
lors of  Rockefeller. 

His  principal  device  was  the  Military  Chamber. 

Here,  military  power  was  concentrated. 

It  was  General  Grant's  belief  that  all  power  should 
be  so  concentrated,  financial,  industrial  and  military, 


46  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

that  its  full  force  could  be  commanded  at  a  moment's 
notice. 

When  General  Grant  called  on  President  Rocke- 
feller at  the  latter's  castle  in  response  to  an  invitation 
or  command,  they  repaired  to  the  military  Chamber 
to  consider  the  Denver  situation. 

A  brief  description  of  this  chamber  is  proper. 

The  four  walls  were  covered  with  buttons,  and  each 
of  these  buttons  contained  the  name  of  some  American 
city. 

The  room  was  large  and  the  buttons  very  numer- 
ous. 

Twenty  of  the  latter  bore  the  name  of  New  York, 
six  carried  the  name  of  Philadelphia,  ten  that  of  Chi- 
cago, ten  San  Francisco,  ten  Seattle,  ten  Boston,  six 
Denver,  and  so  on.  The  name  of  St.  Louis  was  printed 
on  twenty  of  these  buttons. 

An  electric  wire  connected  each  button  with  a  mag- 
azine of  powerful  explosives  lodged  in  the  city  whose 
name  the  button  bore. 

General  Grant  or  Morgan  Rockefeller  or  a  little 
child  could  press  the  six  buttons  which  connected  with 
Denver,  and  wreck  that  city,  so  that  one  stone  would 
not  rest  upon  another,  and  so  that  one  human  being 
would  not  be  left  alive  within  its  precincts. 

Of  this  the  people  of  Denver  had  no  knowledge, 
for,  until  now,  no  necessity  for  a  demonstration  had 
arisen. 

The  consultation  between  the  Autocrat  and  his 
military  servant  was  not  long. 

"Is  not  this  mechanism  perfect!"  exclaimed  Gen- 
eral Grant,  as  he  sat  down  opposite  his  master  and 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  47 

looked  around  proudly.  "Consolidation,  concentra- 
tion!    These  two  words  express  it  all." 

"Yes,  General,"  began  the  President  with  a  note  of 
sadness  in  his  voice.  "This  chamber  is  wonderful,  but 
it  is  monstrous,  awful  and  damnable,  like  the  cavern  of 
an  Octopus.  Why  did  the  good  God  ever  select  me  to 
be  master  in  Hell?" 

General  Grant  looked  at  the  President  with  the 
faintest  expression  of  surprise.  He  could  scarcely  be- 
lieve that  this  was  the  Rockefeller  whose  unflinching, 
unyielding  will  had  constructed  and  held  together  an 
economic  system  so  great  that  a  suggestion  of  its  like 
was  to  be  found  nowhere  in  extant  history. 

"You  are  now  in  a  position,  Mr.  President,"  re- 
marked the  General,  "to  make  a  very  satisfactory  trial 
of  our  device.  You  must  suppress  this  Denver  insur- 
rection and  my  system  is  so  perfect  that  you  can  wipe 
Denver  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  destroy  every 
man,  woman  and  child  in  the  rebel  town." 

The  General  spoke  with  as  much  enthusiasm  as  his 
nature  permitted.  The  prospect  of  trying  his  inven- 
tion was  evidently  one  which  pleased  him,  and  the  pic- 
ture of  the  doomed  city  wrecked  and,  its  inhabitants 
blown  to  fragments,  while  it  did  not  bring  a  smile  to 
his  grim  visage,  made  a  cold  piercing  light  to  shine  out 
of  his  small  gray  eyes.  What  a  difference  between  the 
face  of  this  iron  embodiment  of  scientific,  conscience- 
less war  and  that  of  his  heart-whole  progenitor,  the 
blood  and  iron  hero  of  Appomattox! 

President  Rockefeller  sat  silent  and  grimly  thought- 
ful.    To  look  at  him  one  would  have  been  convinced 


48  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

that  a  great  heart  beat  in  that  form  where  men  looked 
only  for  grasping  mentality. 

Seeing  that  the  President  was  silent,  the  grim 
General  continued. 

"If  the  Denver  insurrection  succeeds,  even  for  a 
short  time,  it  will  inspire  your  people  with  false  ideas. 
They  may  arise  and  destroy  all  your  property,  or  at  the 
best,  instead  of  destroying  one  city,  you  may  be  com- 
pelled to  destroy  many.  I  have  advised  President 
Adams  to  dispatch  the  army  to  subjugate  the  country, 
but  if  you  press  those  six  buttons  bearing  the  name  of 
Denver,  you  may  be  sure  Colorado  and  all  other  dis- 
affected districts  will  submit." 

"General,"  began  the  President,  and  then  looking 
down  at  the  floor,  paused  for  some  seconds.  "General, 
do  you  think  I  should  put  upon  my  soul  the  stain  of 
two  million  murders?  Shall  I  destroy  the  entire  popu- 
lation of  my  beautiful  city  of  Denver?" 

"That  or  necessity  will  force  you  to  do  worse," 
was  the  decisive  answer. 

"General!"  almost  shouted  the  President,  rising 
suddenly  and  towering  six  feet  six  with  his  erect  hercul- 
ean frame.  "I  am  but  flesh  and  blood  and  not  a  fiend.  I 
have  a  heart  which  beats  with  human  sympathy.  The 
world  does  not  know  me.  It  thinks  me  a  machine  and 
my  position  makes  me  a  hermit.  I  am  the  most  soli- 
tary of  beings.  Kings  can  have  their  courtiers,  but  I 
can  have  only  business  advisers.  My  servants  think, 
but  do  not  feel.  I,  who  am  the  consolidated  owner  of 
this  nation's  wealth,  never  got  more  than  one  man's 
portion  in  my  life,  except  of  misery.  The  owner  of  this 
wealth  is  not  I,  but  merely  my  name.     I  say  my  name, 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  49 

but  it  is  really  not  my  name,  only  the  name  of  this  vast 
ownership.  Humanity  does  not  know  Rockefeller. 
They  know  a  name,but  it  is  the  name  of  a  business.  They 
know  a  form,  but  not  the  inhabitant  of  that  form.  The 
tongue  speaks  and  commands,  and  what  it  says  is  im- 
portant. It  is  not  I  who  speak,  it  is  the  business,  the 
property.  I  am  the  most  obscure  and  unknown  thing 
that  breathes.  But  look  you,  General,  I  claim  the 
right,in  the  presence  of  such  a  catastrophe  as  your  plans 
propose,to  put  property  and  business  aside  and  to  man- 
ifest the  love  I  feel  for  mankind.  You  insist  I  must 
not  permit  that  heart  to  influence  me.  I  must  not 
voice  its  feelings,  because  every  word  I  speak  is  fraught 
with  danger.  No  one  criticises  me,  but  no  man  has  less 
freedom  of  action  than  I.  I  must  do  that  which  is 
logical  or  my  interests  suffer.  Love  is  not  extended  to 
me.  There  is  no  love  in  business,  and  I  am  only  what 
my  interests  make  me,  a  Business  Proposition.  Sym- 
pathy is  not  felt  for  me,  because  power  never  receives 
sympathy,  and  I  am  power  personified.  General,"  he 
paused  again,and  then,  speaking  more  calmly  and  look- 
ing at  the  cold  immovable  figure  of  the  sphinx  in  mili- 
tary attire,  said  in  a  deep,  impressive  voice,  "if  it  were 
possible  for  me  to  act  freely;  if  I  were  my  own  master, 
then  would  I  do  as  I  wish,  and  the  world  would  see  that 
I  am  human  and  full  of  human  sympathy.  When  I  am 
gone  they  will  learn  all  this.  But  while  I  do  not  say, 
General,  that  I  will  not  destroy  Denver,  I  do  say  I  am 
in  no  frame  of  mind  to  do  it  now." 

The  old  general  was  unmoved.  His  master's 
words  and  manner  would  have  been  highly  dramatic 
if  an  appreciative  soul  had  been  present.     But  the  re- 


50  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

gal  presence,  the  profound  emotion,  the  passionate 
words,  had  no  significance  to  the  soldier  and  mathemati- 
cian who  counted  humanity  as  figures  and  as  so  many 
more  or  so  many  less  according  as  the  engines  of  war 
did  their  work. 

"Then,"  asked  the  General,  "what  will  you  do? 
You  cannot  permit  the  people  of  Denver  to  seize  your 
properties  and  become  independent  of  your  system. 
The  example  would  be  fatally  bad  and  would  result  in 
the  complete  disintegration  of  your  system." 

"True,"  replied  Rockefeller.  "All  that  is  true.  My 
order  against  the  acceptance  of  gold  for  my  commodi- 
ties was  just  and  right.  The  people  engaged  in  my  in- 
dustries are  co-operating  and  when  they  part  with  the 
products  of  their  co-operative  labor  for  a  fiction,  a  pre- 
tended value,  a  value  which  has  no  existence  except 
in  the  fancies  of  prejudices  of  men,  it  is  ruinous.  I 
have  solidified  and  consolidated  my  industries  and  have 
eliminated  all  wasteful  features  except  this.  I  have 
left  this  until  the  last  because  it  is  the  most  difficult 
to  handle. 

"Gold  hunters  must  enlist  in  my  service. 

"It  is  business. 

"It  is  logical. 

"I  must  suppress  all  sentiment. 

"First,  however,  we  must  try  and  settle  these  Den- 
ver troubles  without  war.  Let  us  seek  through  diplo- 
macy to  save  them  and  if  after  one  week  they  still  per- 
sist, I  will  adopt  your  plan. 

"I  will  then  press  the  buttons." 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  51 

So  saying,  the  President  indicated  that  the  con- 
ference was  at  an  end  and  the  two  left  the  chamber  to- 
gether. 


CHAPTER    XII. 
LOWELL  AT  MONTRAVEN. 

Montraven  was  the  name  of  the  Rockefeller  Castle. 

It  was  as  famous  almost  throughout  the  world  as 
the  name  of  its  great  master. 

Not  to  the  White  House,  the  palatial  and  beauti- 
ful successor  to  the  Democratic  miniature  of  royalty 
in  old  Washington,  went  the  deputations  of  power  as  in 
the  old  days.  Pilgrimages  were  made  to  Montraven 
instead. 

It  was  situated  on  a  high  elevation  overlooking  the 
Mississippi  in  the  center  of  the  most  extensive  and  beau- 
tiful park  which  landscape  artist  ever  designed. 

The  building  itself  was  constructed  entirely  of 
white  Georgia  marble  and  was  the  largest  and  most  ex- 
pensive private  dwelling  the  world  had  ever  seen. 

Over  a  square  mile  of  ground  comprised  the  eleva- 
tion or  hill  on  which  the  edifice  stood,  and  this  was  sep- 
arated from  the  rest  of  the  park  by  a  retaining  wall 
built  one  hundred  feet  above  the  base  of  the  hill  and  all 
around  it.  Above  this  the  structure  stood  nine  hundred 
feet  and  seventy  stories  high. 

For  many  miles  this  marvel  of  architectural 
skill  could  be  seen  across  the  plains  or  towering  above 
the  neighboring  hills. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  53 

There  were  long  tunnels,  however,  which  opened 
through  the  wall  around  the  base  into  the  hill  and 
which  furnished  spacious  passages  to  the  interior. 

The  doors  at  the  entrance  of  each  passage  were 
guarded  by  unarmed  sentinels  who  were  courteous  to 
all  comers,  but  admitted  no  one  except  those  who  had 
passports.  Even  those  were  not  permitted  to  enter 
beyond  the  first  inside  station,  until  their  presence  was 
announced  to  the  office  in  the  watch  tower.  If  their 
business  was  such  that  they  could  be  accommodated 
without  disturbing  the  perfect  system  of  the  castle  they 
were  permitted  to  enter. 

All  the  passages  and  stations  were  light  as  day  at 
all  hours,  being  abundantly  illuminated  by  radium 
lamps. 

Alden  Lowell  did  not  present  himself  at  the  outer 
gate  of  the  main  entrance  to  Montraven  as  became  the 
state  and  condition  of  a  Director. 

He  felt  that  it  was  incumbent  upon  him  to  con- 
serve his  resources  which  he  saw  dwindling  day  by  day. 

He  had  not  lost  courage,  but  was  affected  by  the 
world's  estimate  of  one  who  had  no  place  in  its  estab- 
lished system. 

He  was  anxious  to  see  President  Rockefeller  per- 
sonally. 

The  news  of  his  removal  from  the  directorship  of 
the  New  England  Furniture  Manufacturing  Company 
had  not  yet  become  public  property  in  a  large  or  record 
sense;  but  it  had  leaked  out,  and  he  had  been  cut  to  the 
quick  by  the  heartless  desertion  of  his  former  compan- 
ions and  friends.     Many,  indeed  nearly  all  of  these, 


54  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

completely  ignored  him.  He  presented  himself  in 
dusty  apparel  and  on  foot  at  Montraven. 

The  great  Rockefeller  was  not  usually  a  respecter 
of  persons. 

As  a  business  proposition  everybody  was  equal 
to  everybody  else  before  him.  He  regarded  only  the 
business  in  hand,  and  even  the  political  president  of  the 
Republic  would  have  to  wait  his  turn  unless  his  busi- 
ness was  of  a  pressing  nature.  He  was  therefore  rarely 
interrupted  by  the  great,  unless  by  special  appointment, 
and  never  by  common  humanity,  unless  they  believed 
that  they  had  matters  of  large  importance  to  be  con- 
sidered. 

Recent  events  had  made  the  President  of  Standard 
somewhat  less  exacting  than  ordinarily. 

He  longed  for  companionship. 

For  the  first  time  in  his  life  his  nerves  seemed  af- 
fected and  he  felt  that  he  would  give  much  for  the  ad- 
vice of  a  friend.  Not  that  he  would  exhibit  his  heart 
to  such  a  friend,  or  disclose  the  cause  or  even  the  fact 
of  his  perturbation;  but  the  presence  of  such  a  friend 
and  the  disinterested  counsel  which  he  could  give  on 
matters  of  perhaps  little  moment,  would  lighten  the 
burden  of  life.  He  had  several  times  of  late  recalled 
his  old  friend  Exmore  Lowell  of  Boston  and  wondered 
if  the  son  was  like  the  father. 

Alden  presented  his  passport  at  the  outer  gate  of 
Montraven.  Like  all  who  were  similarly  equipped  he 
was  freely  admitted  and  went  forward  through  the 
splendid  passageway,  noting  with  delight  and  interest 
the  far-famed  wonders  of  its  architecture  and  structure. 

Arriving  at  the  first  inner  station  he  gave  the  card 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  55 

containing  his  name  and  a  short  statement  that  he  de- 
sired to  see  the  President  in  regard  to  a  new  invention 
which  he  believed  would  be  of  inestimable  value  to  His 
Excellency,  to  a  courtly  and  very  polite  attendant,  and 
then  seated  himself  with  the  large  crowd  of  people  who, 
while  waiting,  were  entertained  by  a  high  class  vaude- 
ville performance. 

He  had  perhaps  waited  about  an  hour  when  the 
same  attendant  who  had  received  him,  gently  tapped 
him  on  the  shoulder  and  whispered: 

1 'President  Rockefeller  will  see  you  now." 

The  people  who  had  been  waiting  were  evidently 
surprised  that  this  very  recent  arrival  would  be  recog- 
nized so  soon. 

Alden  felt  some  trepidation  as  he  followed  the  at- 
tendant to  one  of  the  many  elevators  which  lead  to  the 
upper  floors.  His  recent  experiences  and  his  consci- 
ousness of  being  out  of  the  System  diminished  that  as- 
surance which  had  formerly  distinguished  him  without 
giving  offense. 

It  was  several  minutes  before  they  arrived  at  the 
President's  ante-room.  Here  he  waited  for  some  min- 
utes longer  when  he  was  ushered  into  the  inner  office  of 
the  economic  king. 

Mr.  Rockefeller  rose  to  welcome  the  young  man. 

Alden  was  almost  embarassed  with  astonishment 
at  what  he  saw. 

As  the  President  took  his  hand  he  towered  above 
his  caller  fully  six  inches  and  appeared  the  very  per- 
sonification of  power.  Alden,  himself,  was  six  feet 
tall  and  athletic,  and  he  was  hardly  prepared  to  face 
a  giant  such  as  this  Economic  King  now  proved  to  be. 


56  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

The  extreme  plainness  of  the  Master's  personal 
surroundings  also  surprised  him.  There  was  not  the 
slighestt  sign  of  ornamentation  of  any  kind  in  this  busi- 
ness sanctum  of  the  world's  autocratic  bookkeeper,  ex- 
cept that  the  walls  were  a  perfect  picture  gallery  from 
which  peered  the  strong  faces  of  those  who  had  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  creation  of  the  Rockefeller  sys- 
tem. The  portrait  of  John  D.  Rockefeller  and  his 
descendants  in  the  direct  line,  J.  Pierpont  Morgan 
and  his  descendants,  of  James  J.  Hill,  E.  H.  Harriman, 
Andrew  Carnegie,  Weyerhauser  and  others  who  were 
illustrious  accountants  and  system  builders  in  their  day 
and  generation,  looked  sternly  down  upon  the  stranger. 

"Son  of  my  old  friend,  welcome,  welcome!"  ex- 
claimed Rockefeller  grasping  the  hand  of  Alden.  "Be 
seated,"  he  continued,  resuming  his  own  seat. 

From  the  running  fire  of  questions  with  which  the 
President  plied  him,  Alden  concluded  that  he  was  un- 
aware of  his  deposition. 

It  was  some  minutes  before  Alden  was  able  to  sug- 
gest his  own  matter.     At  last  he  said : 

"Mr.  President,  I  am  not  here  merely  as  the  son  of 
my  father,  but  I  feel  deeply  grateful  to  you  for  your 
kindly  consideration  of  his  memory.  I  am  here  to  call 
your  attention  to  an  invention  in  which  he  was  deeply 
interested  during  his  life,  and  which  I  have  the  honor 
to  have  perfected." 

The  President  looked  at  him  wearily  but  with  an 
evident  wish  to  humor  him. 

"I  know,"  said  he,  "that  Exmore  was  interested  in 
something  visionary.  No  doubt  you  are  prepared  to 
exhibit  your  machine.     I  am  glad  that  you  have  fur- 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  57 

nished  me  this  explanation  of  your  refusal  to  resist  your 
exclusion  from  the  Furniture  Directorate.  I  will  afford 
you  ample  opportunity  to  set  your  machine  up  and  will 
ask  you  to  allow  me  to  witness  its  operation  at  the 
earliest  opportunity.  It  must  be  quite  a  machine  to 
induce  you  to  make  so  great  a  sacrifice  as  to  vacate 
the  Directorate  of  one  of  my  best  companies." 

Alden  started  perceptibly  when  the  President 
showed  that  he  was  informed  as  to  his  record.  He  also 
felt  impressed  that  his  father's  devoted  friend  was  de- 
termined not  to  believe  in  his  culpability  as  judged  by 
the  Rockefeller  standard.  He  was  about  to  explain  fur- 
ther, for  he  felt  that  he  could  not  afford  to  appear  in  a 
false  light  even  at  the  risk  of  another  rebuff. 

"But,"— he  began. 

"You  shall  make  no  explanations,"  declared  the 
President  decisively.  "You  will  perhaps  recognize  my 
right  to  command.  It  is  my  will  that  you  be  prepared 
to  exhibit  your  machine  as  speedily  as  may  be.  When 
can  you  be  ready?" 

"Tomorrow  afternoon,  Your  Excellency." 

"Good!     Let  it  be  at  three  o'clock  then." 

So  saying  he  summoned  an  attendant  and  gave 
directions  that  every  attention  be  shown  Alden  as  an 
honored  guest  and  that  whatever  orders  Alden  should 
give  be  obeyed. 

Having  withdrawn  from  the  Executive  Presence 
Alden  and  his  attendant  proceeded  to  select  a  room 
suitable  for  his  purpose,  and  that  having  been  found 
in  one  of  the  subterrnaean  chambers,  he  gave  orders 


58  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

to  have  his  machine  and  chemicals  brought  over  from 
the  station  and  made  all  arrangements  to  be  prepared 
for  the  exhibition  at  the  time  designated. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 
HELEN  CHANNING  AT  HOME. 

Helen  Channing  lived  in  the  Watertown  Standard, 
a  small  hotel  in  one  of  Boston's  suburbs.  The  people 
of  the  locality  knew  very  little  about  her,  except  that 
she  was  regarded  as  highly  aristocratic  and  exclusive, 
and  that  she  seemed  to  be  possessed  of  ample  means 
to  live  well  in  her  retired  position.  She  was  not  known 
to  be  in  the  Rockefeller  service,  but  rumor  had  it  that  she 
was  an  annuitant  of  the  Great  Master  himself,  as  the 
New  Englanders  called  the  President  of  Standard. 

New  England  people  were  ever  of  an  inquiring 
turn  of  mind.  Curiosity  was  and  has  ever  been  one 
of  their  prominent  traits  of  character  and  they  have 
always  claimed  a  democratic  right  to  know  all  about 
their  neighbors.  Although  the  ancient  Puritan  has 
practically  disappeared  from  the  soil  and  his  descend- 
ants have  been  washed  away  by  the  tidal  wave  of  pop- 
ulation which,  early  in  this  century  and  late  in  the  last, 
set  in  from  Italy,  Greece,  Ireland  and  France,  yet  he 
seems,  in  departing,  to  have  thrown  his  character  and 
traits  right  into  the  teeth  of  the  races  he  left  behind. 
An  Irish,  French,  Italian  and  Greek  mortal  born  in 
Yankee  Land,  is  covered  all  over  with  the  Puritanic  and 
Yankee  birth  marks  of  the  old  school. 

So  the  people  around  the  Watertown  Standard 


60  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

were  anxious  to  learn  all  about  Miss  Helen  Channing. 
They  were  baffled  it  is  true,  but  so  beautiful  was  her 
face,  her  form  and  manner,  and  so  proudly  and  yet  so 
benignantly  did  she  carry  herself,  that  she  was  abso- 
lutely above  suspicion  and  was  beloved  by  all.  There 
were  those  things  the  people  noticed,  however,  which 
puzzled  them.  She  went  to  New  York  every  quarter 
with  a  middle  aged  lady  whom  she  called  "Auntie,"  and 
with  whom  she  apparently  lived.  She  went  to  Boston 
once  a  week  in  the  evening,  being  escorted  thither  by 
Mr.  Lowell,  a  handsome  young  man  who  came  out 
from  the  city.  She  was  a  constant  attendant  at  the 
Baptist  church. 

It  should  be  known  also  that  Helen  spent  much 
time  in  writing.  She  was  a  deep  student  of  literature, 
history  and  politics,  and  had  written  some  poetry  which 
had  made  her  pen  name  "Lustra"  a  household  word  in 
Boston.  Few  people  knew,  however,  who  "Lustra" 
was.  She  was  undoubtedly  gifted  as  a  platform  speaker 
and  on  those  occasions  when  she  had  occupied  the  lec- 
ture platform,  her  low,  sweet  voice,  so  fascinating  and 
persuasive  in  woman,  held  her  audience  spell-bound  and 
her  sublime  ideals  to  which  her  life  seemed  devoted, 
left  their  impression  on  her  audience  and  lifted  up  their 
spirits  long  after  the  meeting  was  closed. 

She  was  a  born  organizer,  too,  but  the  populace 
never  knew  this.  Her  work  was  done  in  secret;  and,  as 
she  confidently  believed,  in  violation  of  Morgan  Rocke- 
feller's business  rules.  Personally  she  did  not  fear  being 
discharged  from  Standard's  employ,  for  she  was,  as  the 
people  suspected,  an  annuitant. 

Lowell  had  known  her  for  something  over  a  year  at 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  61 

the  time  of  the  meeting  which  has  been  described.  They 
were  both  members  of  the  same  church,  and  Lowell  had 
not  proven  immune  to  the  fascination  of  this 
beautiful,  gifted  and  remarkable  young  woman.  She 
had  so  far  influenced  him,  indeed,  that  without  ever 
suspecting  her  own  personal  power  over  him,  she  had 
induced  him  to  become  a  member  of  the  fraternal 
order  which  she  had  organized,  and  to  sacrifice  every- 
thing, as  she  believed,  for  her.  When  at  last  it  became 
evident  to  her  how  large  that  sacrifice  was,  she  was 
deeply  solicitous  for  his  welfare,  and  yet,  woman-like, 
and  fanatical  as  she  was,  never  felt  in  the  slightest 
degree  to  blame  or  in  the  least  remorseful.  When  she 
learned  a  few  days  after  his  departure  for  St.  Louis 
that  he  had  met  with  a  cordial  reception  from  the 
President  of  Standard  she  was  greatly  relieved. 

It  was  Helen's  custom  to  take  long  walks  in  the 
country,  where  she  delighted  in  the  study  of  nature. 
Mrs.  Locksley,  "Auntie",  would  frequently  accompany 
her  on  these  "tramps",  as  she  called  them,  but  some- 
times she  went  alone.  She  always  strove  to  return 
before  sundown,  so  that  Mrs.  Locksley,  who  had  a 
motherly  interest  in  her  and  who  idolized  her,  would 
have  no  occasion  for  worry. 

On  the  very  next  evening,  however,  after  Alden 
Lowell  arrived  at  Montraven  she  did  not  return.  In 
vain  Mrs.  Locksley  waited  and  long  into  the  night  she 
kept  her  vigil.  Not  being  able  to  bear  the  suspense 
any  longer,  she  reported  to  the  police  that  her  ward 
had  gone  out  that  afternoon  and  had  not  returned. 
But,  while  this  drove  Mrs.  Locksley  almost  frantic, 


62  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

knowing  Helen  as  she  did,  she  was  not  able  to  give  the 
police  any  facts  which  could  arouse  their  interset 
more  than  to  say  that  it  was  very  unusual. 

"How  old  is  Miss  Channing?"  they  asked. 

' 'Twenty-four,"  she  answered. 

"Do  you  suspect  anything  is  wrong?  Has  she  any 
enemies?" 

"I  don't  know  what  is  wrong.  I  never  thought 
she  had  enemies." 

"Oh,  well,  it  is  one  o'clock.  Probably  she  is  with 
friends.     No  doubt  she  will  come  home  in  the  morning." 

"But  she  never  did  that  before." 

"Maybe  this  is  an  exception.  Always  has  to  be  a 
first  time." 

In  the  morning  a  detective  came  to  the  hotel  and 
asked  for  Mrs.  Locksley. 

When  the  lady  appeared  he  requested  her  to  ex- 
plain the  circumstances  of  Miss  Channing's  disap- 
pearance. 

Now,  Mrs.  Locksley  was  not  given  to  answering 
questions  about  Helen,  especially  if  they  were  asked 
by  strangers. 

"You  will  have  to  tell  me  who  you  are  before  I 
answer  you,"  she  said  brusquely. 

The  stranger  handed  her  a  card  on  which  was 
printed  "Moreland  Hughes,  Captain  of  Standard  De- 
tective Force." 

"Who  sent  you?"  persisted  Mrs.  Locksley. 

"Mrs.  Locksley,"  said  Hughes  in  a  high  falsetto 
voice,  "I  have  information  which  leads  me  to  believe 
that  Miss  Channing  is  far  away  from  here.  I  must  ask 
you  questions  if  I  am  to  be  of  any  service  to  her.     I 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  63 

am  especially  anxious  to  help  her  as  I  have  orders  from 
very  high  authority  to  aid  and  protect  her  in  every 
possible  way." 

Hughes  spoke  so  positively  that  Mrs.  Locksley 
sat  down,  and,  asking  him  to  be  seated,  promised  to 
answer  any  questions  she  could. 

"I  know  who  Miss  Channing  is,"  he  began,  "and 
I  think  you  must  be  fully  aware  of  her  high  connection. 
The  municipal  and  political  police  know  nothing  about 
her  and  it  is  not  necessary  that  they  should.  When 
you  have  answered  my  questions,  I  will  tell  you  my 
suspicions.     Is  Miss  Channing  your  ward?" 

"She  was  before  she  came  of  age." 

"Have  you  seen  any  strange  persons  around  here 
lately?" 

"I  never  noticed.  Helen  was  always  good  to 
everybody.     I  don't  think  she  has  any  enemies." 

"Did  anybody  ever  make  an  attempt  to  abduct 
her,  to  your  knowledge?" 

Such  a  thought  had  never  occurred  to  her.  Why 
should  they?  Mrs.  Locksley  had  known  Helen  from 
birth;  had  held  her  in  her  arms;  had  known  her  won- 
derful father  and  mother;  had  known,  too,  that  these 
had  powerful  relations,  but  understood  that  they  were 
ignored  by  those  relatives.  When  the  father  and 
mother  had  died,  Mrs.  Locksley  had  been  made  her 
guardian  and  supplied  with  ample  funds  to  properly 
maintain  and  educate  her  ward;  but  she  did  not  know 
who  was  responsible  for  this  attention.  It  had  never 
occurred  to  her  that  her  Helen  was  a  person  of  such 
importance  that  anybody  would  care  to  steal  her. 

"No,  indeed!"  she  said. 


64  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

"Do  you  know  who  she  is?" 

"I  guess  I  do.  I  knew  her  father  and  mother,  and 
was  with  them  when  Helen  was  born." 

But  there  had  always  been  a  mystery  about 
Helen's  parents  and  their  influence  in  Mrs.Locksley's 
mind. 

"There  were  many  things  which  I  never  did  under- 
stand," she  added. 

"I  do  not  want  to  frighten  you,  Mrs.  Locksley," 
said  Hughes,  "but  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  Miss 
Channing  has  been  seized  by  a  band  of  outlaws  who 
are  holding  her  for  a  ransom." 

If  Mrs.  Locksley  was  noted  for  anything,  it  was 
her  resolution  and  courage.  Nobody  could  ever  say 
that  she  was  personally  afraid  of  anything,  and  she 
was  ready  to  face  any  odds  where  her  ward  or  her 
principles  were  at  stake.  There  was  something  so 
mysterious,  so  unexpected,  so  indefinite  and  yet  so 
probable  about  what  had  now  been  suggested  that  she 
was  completely  upset. 

"Oh!"  she  exclaimed.  "It  may  be  true.  They 
will  kill  my  darling!     What  can  I  do?" 

"You  can  do  nothing,"  replied  Hughes  coolly  and 
almost  nonchalantly.  "If  Miss  Channing  is  in  the 
power  of  the  outlaws,  as  I  suspect,  she  is  perfectly  safe 
from  any  physical  harm.  They  will  not  abuse  her,  and 
will  make  her  life  comfortable,  if  she  is  not  frightened 
to  death.  Their  interest  lies  in  caring  for  her,  for  to 
destroy  her  would  be  to  lose  the  reward  they  demand." 

This  was  no  consolation  to  Mrs.  Locksley.  She 
was  nearly  frantic.  When  the  detective  left  her,  how- 
ever, she  was  calmer,  but  if  she  could  have  had  the 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  65 

slightest  intimation  of  the  direction  taken  by  the  sup- 
posed outlaws,  she  would  have  hurried,  without  hesi- 
tation, to  the  rescue  of  her  darling. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
THE  CONFERENCE. 

President  Josiah  Quincy  Adams,  Chief  Magistrate 
of  the  United  States  of  North  America,  was  a  man  of 
great  and  varied  learning.  Descended  from  the  early 
Presidents  of  that  name,  he  inherited  their  independent 
spirit  and  eminent  talents.  Self-reliance  was  the  key- 
stone of  his  character  as  it  was  of  his  forebears;  but 
self-reliant  and  independent  as  he  was  he  could  not 
escape  the  inevitable,  and  wasted  no  time  in  such  vain 
effort.  He  was  proficient  in  every  phase  of  statecraft. 
His  memory  was  a  vast  storehouse  of  historical  know- 
ledge which  his  logical  and  finely  traine  dmind  arranged 
and  employed  with  telling  effect.  In  his  department 
he  was  easily  the  foremost  man  in  the  nation,  but  some- 
how, in  the  estimation  of  all  but  foreign  governments, 
his  government  had  become  very  much  like  a  gilded 
throne  of  ancient  days  in  modern  Europe,  purely 
ornamental. 

The  difficulties  in  Denver  were  well  known  to 
President  Adams.  But  they  were  not  political  diffi- 
culties. They  were,  however,  serious  enough  to  war- 
rant the  convocation  of  congress  in  extraordinary 
session,  and  it  was  decided  that  such  session  should 
be  called  if  the  difficulties  were  not  settled.  President 
Adams  made  haste  to  offer  President  Rockefeller  the 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  67 

services  of  the  army  if  they  should  be  needed  to  re- 
store law  and  order,  and  preparations  for  the  trans- 
portation of  immense  bodies  of  troops  were  begun. 
The  propriety  of  this  action  was  not  questioned  except 
in  the  disaffected  districts. 

Shortly  after  his  conversation  with  General  Grant 
in  the  military  chamber,  President  Rockefeller  invited 
President  Adams  to  call  at  Montraven  Castle.  Such 
an  invitation  would  not  have  been  considered,  coming 
from  another  source,  but  coming  from  President  Rocke- 
feller it  had  all  the  impressiveness  of  a  command.  Mr. 
Adams  no  more  thought  of  disobeying  than  his  ancient 
ancestors,  John  and  John  Quincy,  would  have  ignored 
a  unanimous  demand  of  the  business  interests.  He 
accepted  the  invitation  without  delay  and  proceeded 
at  once  to  the  castle. 

The  procession  of  His  Excellency,  the  President  of 
the  United  States  of  North  America,  presented  an 
imposing  spectacle  with  its  vanguard  of  cavalry  and 
its  gilded  autos  as  it  proceeded  through  the  principal 
streets  of  the  capital  city. 

Heralds  preceding  notified  the  people  who  crowded 
the  streets  of  the  city  of  the  approach  of  the  greatest 
American  representative  of  political  power. 

In  1900  such  a  procession  would  have  been  viewed 
with  contempt. 

The  political  presidency  represented  real  power  in 
those  days  because  the  citizens  of  the  Republic  had 
then  a  belief  in  its  reality. 

In  1990,  political  power  meant  little  or  nothing. 

As  it  had  become  scarcely  more  than  ornamental 
and  as  the  real  power  belonged  to  the  economic  govern- 


68  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

ment>  men  felt  that  the  former  should  be  possessed  of 
something  like  imposing  pomp. 

It  had  become,  therefore,  a  passing  show. 

When  President  Adams  and  his  party  arrived  at 
Montraven,  the  procession  passed  up  the  grand  passage 
to  the  first  inner  station.  In  anticipation  of  the  visit, 
this  station  was  decorated  with  patriotic  emblems, 
and  the  company  awaiting  His  Excellency  consisted  of 
attaches  of  the  Castle.  Here  the  distinguished  arrivals 
were  conducted  from  their  autos  to  the  elevators  and 
taken  to  the  splendid  reception  hall  above  where  Presi- 
dent Rockefeller,  without  display,  but  with  the  polite- 
ness and  consideration  of  a  finished  gentleman  and  a 
simple  democrat,  met  them  and  extended  a  cordial  and 
heartfelt  welcome. 

The  formalities  being  soon  concluded,  the  Presi- 
dent of  Standard  led  the  President  of  the  Republic  into 
his  private  sanctum,  the  same  as  that  into  which 
Lowell  had  been  ushered,  and  took  up  several  matters 
which  were  supposed  to  be  of  mutual  importance  to 
the  state  and  the  Merger.  In  the  course  of  the  con- 
versation, President  Rockefeller  mentioned  the  name  of 
Exmore  Lowell  as  a  fellow-townsman  of  President 
Adams. 

"Exmore's  son,  Alden,  was  appointed  a  director 
in  the  New  England  Furniture  Manufacturing  Company, 
but  it  was  learned  that  he  had  been  influenced  by  those 
fanatics,  the  Fraternalists,  and  the  company  deposed 
him.  The  company  can  not  and  should  not  reinstate 
him,  but  there  are  strong  reasons  why  I  do  not  wish 
him  to  suffer.  He  is  here  in  the  castle  now,  and  will, 
at  three  o'clock,  give  an  exhibition  of  his  mirage  re- 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  69 

flector.  As  Exmore  was  a  particular  friend  of  yours 
also,  and  as  I  rather  think  this  invention  may  prove  of 
great  scientific  interest,  I  shall  take  the  liberty  to  ask 
you,  with  some  members  of  your  cabinet,  to  be  present." 

President  Adams  was  pleased. 

"I  am  glad,"  he  said,  "that  you  find  it  possible  to 
take  care  of  Alden's  future.  I  understood  that  he  had 
been  deposed  and  felt  sorry.  Indeed,  it  was  my  pur- 
pose today  to  ask  if  you  had  any  objection  to  his  being 
appointed  to  some  suitable  office.  Your  business  rules 
very  properly  exclude  Fraternalists  from  your  employ- 
ment, but  politically  we  do  not  in  theory  object  to 
them.  Of  course,  Your  Excellency  will  not  expect  us 
to  appoint  a  Fraternalist  to  office  against  your  object- 
ions." 

"As  to  the  appointment,  I  will  be  glad  to  consider 
that  at  another  time,  Mr.  President,"  rejoined  Presi- 
dent Rockefeller.  "We  may  both  find  a  satisfactory 
solution  of  our  little  problem  when  we  see  what  he  has. 
These  inventions  I  usually  refer  to  a  committee  or  to 
the  corporations  whose  mechanism  they  improve.  But 
Exmore's  son  is  entitled  to  some  consideration  from  his 
father's  friend." 

"I  shall  be  deeply  interested,"  remarked  Mr. 
Adams.  "I  was  Mr.  Exmore  Lowell's  confidential 
adviser  for  some  time  in  my  younger  days." 

Mr.  Adams  was  apparently  about  forty-five  years 
of  age. 

The  two  great  men  returned  to  the  reception  hall 
and  later  to  the  buffet,  where  they  lunched  together. 
The  occasion  was  one  of  festivity,  and  nearly  every 
conceivable  diversion  was  provided  for  the  visitors  and 


70  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

habitues  of  this  vast  castle  wherein  resided,  together 
with  the  President  and  his  immediate  suite,  over 
twenty  thousand  persons. 


CHAPTER    XV. 
THE  MIRAGE  REFLECTOR. 

The  reflector  was  installed  in  one  of  the  subter- 
ranean chambers  of  the  castle  which  Lowell  selected 
because  he  found  it  to  have  suitable  atmospheric  con- 
ditions. At  the  proper  time  the  two  executives  and 
several  of  their  most  distinguished  advisors,  including 
the  Secretary  of  Applied  Sciences  and  the  President  of 
the  Standard  National  Laboratory,  accompanied  by  a 
guide,  proceeded  in  corridor  cars  and  down  elevators, 
to  what  thenceforth  was  known  as  the  Mirage  Chamber. 
This  was  semicircular  in  form  and  scarcely  more  than 
twenty  by  forty  feet  in  size. 

After  the  distinguished  company  were  seated, 
President  Rockefeller  graciously  introduced  Alden 
and  President  Adams  took  particular  pains  to  step 
forward  and  whisper  words  of  encouragement  to  his 
fellow  townsman. 

"Alden,"  said  he,  "Boston  will  be  honored  in 
your  success.  I  saw  several  of  your  father's  experi- 
ments in  this  line  and  I  believe  you  will  win  out  some 
day.  Even  if  you  fail  now,  believe  me,  I  will  give 
you  every  opportunity  in  my  power  to  succeed  here- 
after." 

"Your  words  are  doubly  appreciated  by  me, 
Your   Excellency,"   returned   Alden,   his   eyes   filling 


72  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

with  tears  of  gratification.  "I  thank  God  that  I 
am  able  to  assure  you  that  my  reflector  is  a  success.'7 

A  few  preliminaries  having  been  attended  to, 
Alden  stated  to  the  assembled  party  that  his  exhibi- 
tion must  of  necessity  seem  mysterious  and  would 
partake  of  the  supernatural  in  appearance.  He  de- 
sired it  understood  that  he  had  no  claims  on  the  super- 
natural, but  that  the  effects  they  were  about  to  wit- 
ness were  accomplished  purely  by  the  application 
of  a  natural  law. 

"Now,"  said  he,  "in  concluding,  let  me  request 
Your  Excellencies,  President  Rockefeller  and  Presi- 
dent Adams  to  state  what  scene  or  part  of  the  world 
you  desire  to  view.  In  producing  such  scene  I  shall 
make  use  of  the  mirage  principle,  with  which  you  are 
more  or  less  familiar.  I  should  also  say  to  you  that 
this  room  is  peculiarly  adapted,  though  small,  to 
reproduce  any  scene  which  is  being  enacted  in  any 
part  of  the  world.  I  shall  be  glad  if  Your  Excellen- 
cies will  express  your  wishes." 

"I  shall  place  that  burden  on  President  Adams," 
exclaimed  Mr.  Rockefeller.  "What  scene  will  you 
have  my  friend  produce,  Mr.  President?" 

President  Adams  was  not  quite  prepared  to  make 
a  selection,  but  in  an  off-hand  manner  suggested 
mid-ocean. 

Suddenly,  as  if  by  magic,  a  vapor  began  to  arise 
in  front  of  the  east  wall  of  the  room.  This  quickly 
became  light  and  in  the  mist,  the  blue  and  troubled 
waters  of  the  unstable  sea  appeared.  The  billows 
seemed  to  be  rolling  toward  the  audience  and  grew 
so  plain,  in  a  few  minutes,  that  the  room  itself  seemed 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  73 

to  rise  and  fall  with  the  swelling  sea.  Nothing  could 
be  more  desolate  than  this  restless  waste  where  was 
no  sign  of  life  and  where  was  no  silent  shore  to  limit  its 
will. 

As  they  watched  it,  awestruck  by  the  perfection 
of  the  representation  and  impressed  by  the  marvel 
and  mystery  of  the  ocean  and  all  the  wonderful  shades 
of  color  which  the  reflector  preserved,  suddenly 
there  came  into  the  scene  another  object.  With  a 
rapidity  of  flight  equal  to  that  of  a  bird,  which  it  some- 
what resembled,  it  skimmed  along  the  surface  of  the 
sea  with  wings  drooping  and  spreading  alternately, 
as  it  came  on.  From  a  tiny  speck  against  the  horizon 
where  the  water  and  sky  met,  it  grew  into  a  great  ship 
which  seemed  to  leap  from  wave  to  wave,  sometimes 
with  its  keel  in  the  sea,  sometimes  above  it. 

"Is  not  this  wonderful?"  cried  President  Adams. 
"That  is  certainly  our  good  ship  Mayflower.  If, 
indeed  she  is  now  in  mid-ocean,  as  our  friend,  the  Pro- 
fessor tells  us,  then  she  will  reach  New  York  tonight 
and  will  be  here  tomorrow  morning." 

On  it  came  until  its  great  front  filled  the  scene 
with  so  realistic  an  effect  that  the  company  arose 
and  turned  as  if  to  fly  before  a  terrible  and  destructive 
projectile.  Like  a  ghost  it  floated  straight  on  through 
the  little  room,  an  impalpable  mist.  The  winged 
ship,  the  glory  of  the  latter  part  of  the  twentieth 
century,  had  passed  the  tract  of  mid  ocean  embraced 
in  the  mirage  and  the  reflection  was  gone. 

The  two  presidents  and  their  guests  and  coun- 
selors, men  of  great  experience,  men  who  had  seen  near- 
ly everything  of  note,  men  with  critical  minds  which 


74  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

had  long  ceased  to  be  deceived  or  impressed,  watched 
the  scene  like  innocent  children.  Before  them  still 
palpitated  the  ocean,  substantial  in  the  distance, 
flowing  ever  towards  them,  becoming  a  mist,  not  to 
the  sense  of  touch,  but  to  the  sense  of  sight,  as  it  surg- 
ed around  them  and  flowing  on  to  become  again  sub- 
stantial on  the  western  wall  of  their  room. 

"Verily,"  said  President  Adams,  "we  dwell  in 
the  midst  of  the  ocean." 

"The  half  was  surely  not  told  to  us,"  declared 
President  Rockefeller.  "Your  exhibition  is  remarkable, 
Professor."  Then  addressing  the  assembled  company, 
he  said,  "Gentlemen,  we  have  beheld  three  marvels 
of  this  age.  The  sea,  the  material  manifestation 
of  God's  greatest  power.  The  mirage  reflector  per- 
fected by  my  great  friend,  Alden  Lowell,  and  the  mod- 
ern ship,  half  swallow  and  half  waterfowl,  a  compro- 
mise between  the  sea  and  the  air  and  capable  of  sweep- 
ing across  the  land  on  wheels  and  wings." 

"I  think,"  interposed  Secretary  Agassiz,  "that 
the  ship  is  the  glory  of  the  age,  although  this  new  in- 
vention may  have  uses  which  I  have  not  yet  antici- 
pated. The  old  scheme  of  aerial  navigation  was  vis- 
ionary. But  when  Maldrum  conceived  the  idea  of 
the  winged  ship  which  could  rise  into  the  air  or  settle 
into  the  water  as  its  safety  required,  the  problem  was 
solved.  That  the  same  ship  could  fly  above  the  earth's 
surface  where  obstacles  impeded  its  progress  on  that 
surface  or,  balancing  itself  with  its  wings,  roll  swiftly 
on  its  bicycle  wheels  to  its  destination,  revolutionized 
the  methods  and  system  of  transportation." 

"Excuse  me,  gentlemen,"  interrupted  Alden,  "but 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  75 

I  must  enter  a  claim  now  for  my  mirage  reflector. 
I  am  convinced  that  its  utility  is  far  greater  than 
you  have  considered.  With  this  instrument  I  can 
search  the  earth  and  can,  at  a  moment's  notice,  give 
you  accurate  information  of  what  is  taking  place. 
Shall  I  show  you  what  is  at  this  moment  occuring 
in    the    rebellious    state    of    Colorado?" 

The  company  looked  incredulous.  Then  the  new 
thought  seemed  to  strike  each  one  with  astounding 
force.  They  had  not  considered  the  subject  at  all 
and  merely  viewed  it  as  a  novelty. 

What,  indeed,  if  it  should  be  true  that  he,  the 
the  Master  of  All  Wealth,  the  Master  of  All  Men, 
the  Master  of  All  the  Forces  of  Creation  and  Des- 
truction of  which  men  had  knowledge,  was  now  to 
become  well  nigh  omniscient  through  this  new  instru- 
ment! 

Even  the  great  Rockefeller  was  staggered  by  the 
thought. 

He  knew  better  than  they  how  complete  would 
be  the  concentration  of  his  power  with  this  new  in- 
vention, in  connection  with  the  military  chamber 
and  the  elimination  of  the  one  safety  valve  of  in- 
dividualism, namely,  gold  as  a  money  metal. 

Almost  fearfully  these  stalwart  men,  the  nation's 
brainiest  and  best,  seated  themselves  again  and  with 
serious  faces  quietly  consented  to  continue  the  ex- 
hibition. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 
THE    REVOLUTION    IN    THE    REFLECTOR 

The  scene  which  Alden  introduced  to  the  now 
serious  attention  of  the  statesmen  and  savants  who 
comprised  his  audience,  was  not  precisely  what  they 
expected. 

Instead  of  representing  Denver,  the  reflector 
showed    a    mountain    road    and    wild    surroundings. 

An  old  man  wearily  and  slowly  descended  the 
mountain  with  a  long  staff  in  one  hand  and  a  bundle 
in  the  other. 

A  company  of  horsemen  was  making  its  way 
down  the  same  road,  each  rider  having  the  appearance 
of  preparation  for  military  duty. 

Behind  these,  carriages  came  containing  important 
looking  persons,  men  and  women. 

Then  the  scene  was  again  shifted  to  another 
locality  where  men  arrayed  like  soldiers,  but  display- 
ing little  of  the  training  of  soldiers,  were  marching 
along  the  highway.  Alden  exhibited  in  quick  suc- 
cession many  such  scenes,  all  calculated  to  show  war- 
like   movements    at    the    seat    of    war. 

Finally  he  showed  a  great  public  square  in  the 
City  of  Denver  and  a  vast  multitude  listening  to  an 
orator  who  was  dressed  in  military  attire. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  77 

President  Rockefeller  recognized  the  orator  as 
Masterson. 

It  was  an  active  but  silent  scene  which  the  reflec- 
tor produced. 

Silent,  because  there  was  no  way  to  present 
both  sound  and  action. 

Active,  because  it  was  plain  that  some  great 
movement  was  in  progress  which  was  intensely  in- 
teresting to  the  people  there  gathered. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  orator  ceased  to  speak 
and  the  crowd  made  manifestations  of  frantic  en- 
thusiasm. 

Hands  and  handkerchiefs  were  waved  and  hats 
were   thrown   in    the   air. 

Shortly  after,  the  men  began  to  fall  into  line  with 
military  regularity. 

It  was  noticeable  that  they  were  formed  into 
companies  and  officered. 

Masterson  left  his  place  on  the  platform  and 
mounted  a  horse.  Then  all  moved  forward  as  if  a 
command   had   been  given. 

The  men  who  were  watching  them  knew  that 
they  were  witnessing  the  unopposed  development 
of  a  revolution. 

With  his  reflector  Alden  followed  the  proces- 
sion of  armed  citizens  down  the  wide  and  stately 
streets  of  the  beautiful  city  of  the  plains. 

The  scene  was  very  strange  as  presented,  for 
magnificently  uniformed  bands  leading  some  division 
or  regiment  would  seem  to  be  marching  straight  into 
the  little  hall  playing  on  instruments  from  which  no 
sound  proceeded.     On  they  marched,  and  ghost-like, 


78  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

their  misty  forms  moved  through  the  room,  paying 
no  heed  to  material  objects,  and  in  the  mirage  thus 
conjured  up  by  the  seeming  magic  of  the  youth,  there 
were  no  walls  except  the  apparitions  of  buildings 
in  the  distant  metropolis. 

Yet  the  audience  knew  it  was  a  real  scene  which 
was  being  enacted. 

Soon  the  marching  hosts  halted. 

Alden  once  more  sought  the  head  of  the  proces- 
sion. There  Masterson  sat  on  his  horse,  evidently 
giving  orders  to  his  men. 

The  procession  had  stopped  before  a  tall  imposing 
office  building. 

President  Rockefeller  knew  it  was  the  headquarters 
of  the  Standard  Oil  Company  for  Colorado. 

The  men  to  whom  the  leader  had  given  orders 
entered  the  building  and  presently  returned,  escort- 
ing certain  other  men  whom  they  conducted  to  Master- 
son. 

Evidently  some  conversation  was  had  which 
did  not  satisfy  Masterson,  for  his  men  compelled  the 
others   to   submit   to   be   handcuffed. 

President  Rockefeller  started  perceptibly  and 
frowned. 

He  knew  that  his  managing  officers,  among  the 
rest,  Standard  Director  Bell,  one  of  his  strongest  and 
most  trusty  lieutenants,  had  been  taken  captive  by 
the   lawless   rebels. 

He  knew  that  the  movement  of  the  many  to 
take  control  of  his  property  had  begun. 

The  scene  was  intensely  dramatic.  Every  man 
in  the  audience  had  risen  to  his  feet. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  79 

The  form  of  the  giant  President  of  Standard 
towered  high  above  all  the  rest  and  his  lion  face, 
strikingly  similar  to  the  features  of  his  mother's  great 
ancestor,  J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  resembled  a  thunder 
cloud. 

While  the  intangible  reflections  flitted  around 
him  and  with  indescribable  weirdness  occupied  the 
same  place  as  that  occupied  by  some  of  the  audience, 
producing  an  effect  like  a  light  thin  veil  thrown  over 
them,  he  raised  his  hand  as  if  speaking  to  the  men 
in  the  mirage,  and  shouted. 

"You  rob  my  companies!  You  take  possession 
of  my  property!  Wretched  people!  Do  you  not 
know  that  I  have  designed  everything  for  the  best? 
I  proposed  to  give  you  a  thousand  benefits.  Your 
inexcusable  action  puts  it  beyond  my  power  to  help 
you.  Oh,  that  Grant  were  here  to  witness  this  out- 
rage!" 

The  President  of  Standard  indicated  he  had  seen 
enough  of  Alden's  invention  for  that  day  and  extended 
his  congratulations  on  having  achieved  the  most  im- 
portant success  of  years.  President  Adams  was  even 
more  expressive  than  his  superior  and  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  assemblage  overwhelmed  the  young  in- 
ventor, now  recognized  by  them  all  as  one  of  the  most 
distinguished   men   of  the  nation. 

Only  about  an  hour  and  a  half  had  been  spent 
in  watching  the  scenes  reflected  by  Alden's  machine. 
The  information  obtained  from  it  was  sufficient  to 
apprise  them  that  the  Colorado  and  Denver  revolu- 
tion had  progressed  so  far  that  it  could  not  be  ignored. 


80  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

The  only  question  was  how  far  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment could  be  concerned. 

It  was  not  a  secession  movement. 

It  did  not  violate  any  rights  which  the  Federal 
constitution  guaranteed.  There  was  no  interfer- 
ence with  the  mails. 

So  far  it  did  not  appear  that  any  overt  act  had 
been  committed  against  even  the  state  officers. 

But  so  large  and  so  consequential  was  the  move- 
ment that  President  Adams  was  inclined  to  consider 
it  the  proper  occasion  to  establish  a  needful  prece- 
dent so  that  henceforth  no  doubt  could  exist  in  similar 
predicaments    what    course    to    adopt. 

He  therefore,  without  hesitation,  announced  his 
purpose  to  send  the  army  into  Colorado  and  restore 
law  and  its  observance. 

The  day  was,  for  all  but  the  Master,  a  gala  day 
at  Montraven.  Rockefeller  was  a  magnificent  host. 
But  there  were  no  excesses  indulged  in  that  city 
within  Montraven  Castle.  The  President  of  Stan- 
dard was  not  only  the  soul  of  business  honor,  but 
he  expected  and  exacted  no  less  of  all  who  were  in  his 
employment.  He  was  temperate,  moral,  prudent  and 
considerate  in  all  things.  No  better  example  of  a 
master  of  the  commercial  sphere,  and  no  better  pat- 
tern for  the  servant  ever  lived.  As  a  citizen,  a  mas- 
ter and  a  gentleman,  this  wealthiest  and  most  power- 
ful   of    all    mankind    was    above    reproach. 


CHAPTER   XVII 
THE  DEATH  OF  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER. 

The  next  day,  when  the  presidential  party  was 
gone,  President  Rockefeller  hastily  summoned  the 
commanding  general  of  the  army,  General  Grant, 
to    Montraven. 

The  General  was  at  this  time  busy  making  pre- 
parations for  his  expected  campaign. 

Yet  he  left  all  and  obeyed  the  summons  of  the 
economic  master. 

When  he  arrived  at  the  castle  he  was  ushered 
into  the  military  chamber  where  he  found  the  Presi- 
dent of  Standard  awaiting  his  advent. 

But  when  he  looked  into  the  great  man's  face, 
the  cold  eye  of  the  General  at  once  detected  some- 
thing unusual. 

The  President's  complexion  was  naturally  florid. 
Although  sixty,  his  cheeks  were  adorned  with  a  color 
which  ordinary  persons,  at  first  glance,  regarded  as 
the  flush  of  health.  But  some  knowing  ones  whis- 
pered that  the  great  man  would  some  time  suddenly 
develop  an  organic  weakness. 

When  General  Grant  found  him  in  the  military 
room,  the  President  received  his  guest,  sitting  in  a 
reclining  chair  with  his  hand  pressed  in  the  region 


82  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

of  his  heart,  and  his  countenance  contracted  with 
pain. 

"What's  the  matter,  Mr.  President?"  asked 
General    Grant    in    his    usual    brusque    tone. 

"Oh!  nothing,"  answered  the  President,  chang- 
ing his  attitude  and  speaking  with  difficulty.  "A 
little  heart  trouble.  But  I  am  better  now,"  he  con- 
tinued, after  a  short  pause. 

"I  hope  Your  Excellency  is  in  no  danger,"  re- 
marked  the   General. 

The  President  had  now  resumed  his  upright 
normal  attitude,  and  his  pain  seemed  to  have  dis- 
appeared. 

"I  have  decided  that  you  are  right  in  regard  to 
the    Denver   trouble,    General,"    he   said. 

The  General  sat  silent  and  grim  and  made  no 
answer. 

"Your  plan  of  exemplary  punishment  must  be 
applied,"  continued  Mr.  Rockefeller,  his  own  face 
assuming  the  cold,  sphinx-like,  expressionless  look 
which  characterized  that  of  the  old  general.  "We 
must  destroy  that  rebellious  city." 

"When?"    asked   the   general   shortly. 

"Tonight.     At   midnight." 

"Your  Excellency  might  better  do  it  now.  If 
Your  Excellency  will  but  say  the  word  I  will  press 
those  buttons.  Why  wait?"  urged  the  man  of  arms 
and  war. 

"It  is  an  execution,  General,  and  midnight  is  a 
better  hour  for  that.  Denver  has  been  tried  by 
me    and    found    guilty." 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  83 

Then  he  related  to  the  General  the  scenes  pre- 
sented by  the  mirage  reflector  and  the  manner  in  which 
that  marvelous  invention  had  come  into  his  control. 
Even  Grant  was  astonished  and  showed  it. 

"That  and  the  military  chamber  are  the  ex- 
tinguishers of  war,"  exclaimed  he. 

"I  feel,"  resumed  the  President,  ignoring  the 
General's  remark,  "that  this  is  the  greatest  trial  and 
the  most  unhappy  event  of  my  life.  The  wars  which 
have  thus  far  disturbed  me  have  been  solely  political, 
and  I  was  glad  to  beat  my  enemies  in  fair  battle. 
But  this  nearly  unmans  me.  We  seem  to  steal  on 
the  people  unawares  and  destroy  them  when  they 
least    expect    it." 

"But  your  power,  like  your  property,  is  concen- 
trated," argued  the  General.  "If  you  admit  that 
your  right  to  your  property  is  not  absolute,  you  make 
a  concession  which  will  lose  it  all.  If  you  should 
apprise  Denver  people  of  your  purpose  to  ignite  the 
magazines  stored  within  their  city  limits,  they  would 
find  means  to  thwart  your  plans.  If  Denver  escapes 
punishment  your  interests  are  doomed.  If  other 
cities  find  that  it  is  easy  to  appropriate  all  the  pro- 
perty in  their  limits,  they  will  need  only  slight  pro- 
vocation to  do  it.  If  you  do  not  strike  soon  you 
will  lose  all." 

"General,  you  have,  no  idea  how  deeply  I  have 
felt  the  misery  which  I  seem  foredoomed  to  precip- 
itate. Never  have  I  been  unsympathetic.  In  fact, 
my  life  which  has  seemed  so  selfish,  has  been  a  sacri- 
fice for  the  good  of  mankind.  I  am  as  complete  a 
martyr  to  the  great  cause  of  human  progress  as  any 


84  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

of  the  saints.  I  have  denied  myself  all  pleasures; 
have  never  married,  although  I  yearned  for  home 
and  children;  have  been  concerned  altogether  with 
the  concentration  of  business  for  a  single  purpose. 
It  was  my  wish  to  compel  the  gold  miners  of  the 
Southwest  to  come  into  my  system.  Gold  has  no 
value  to  me  except  in  the  arts.  I  would  rather  put 
a  value  on  an  hour's  work  and  fix  that  value  per- 
manently. Then  I  could  give  a  man  who  worked 
for  me  an  hour,  a  check  to  show  that  I  had  the  value 
of  an  hour's  work  which  he  had  performed  and  that 
such  value  was  added  to  my  accumulated  wealth. 
If  he  wants  anything  in  the  world,  I  have  all  the  facil- 
ities to  get  it  for  him — land,  sea,  forests,  mines,  tools, 
ships,  theatres,  hotels,  parks.  If  he  will  return  his 
check,  I  will  give  the  value  of  the  hour's  labor  it  rep- 
presents.  It  was  'business'  that  I  should  adopt  the  new 
plan.  It  was  best  for  me  and  for  my  people.  Yet 
I  am  now  involved  in  war  by  the  men  who  are  wedded 
to  old  customs  and  influenced  by  old  prejudices." 

The  discussion  continued  for  some  time  during 
which  President  Rockefeller  seemed  to  age  visibly 
with  each  passing  minute.  No  other  subject  seemed 
to  interest  him  and  he  was  loathe  to  leave  the  place. 
It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  the  General  re- 
turned to  his  headquarters,  leaving  the  President 
in  the  Military  Chamber.  It  was  agreed  that  he 
should  report  at  midnight  and  that  the  magazines 
of  Denver,  of  whose  existence  Denver  people  knew 
nothing,  should  be  touched  off  by  the  hand  of  the 
General  as  a  military  necessity. 

President  Rockefeller  remained  alone  in  the  cham- 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  85 

ber.  In  the  bright  light,  the  light  of  an  overhead 
radium  lamp,  he  sat  in  the  chair  in  which  the  General 
found  him.  Except  the  General,  whose  supervision 
of  the  construction  of  this  chamber  made  him  fami- 
liar with  that  part  of  the  castle,  no  person  knew  where 
the  President  was,  because  this  military  chamber  was 
jealously  guarded.  Only  the  operator  of  the  eleva- 
tor in  the  remote  part  of  the  castle  saw  him  as  he 
entered  the  corridor  which  led  thither,  but  even  he 
knew  not  where  the  Master  had  gone. 

In  his  reclining  chair  the  great  man  sat  gazing 
at  the  wall  and  straight  at  the  ivory  buttons  on  which 
were  printed  the  word  "Denver".  The  gaze  became 
a  fixed  stare.     Poor  Rockefeller! 

The  minutes  flew  and  grew  into  hours  and  still 
he  sat  in  the  same  position,  staring  neither  to  the  right 
nor  the  left,  but  fixedly  at  the  same  printed  name, 
and  when  at  midnight,  two  men  opened  the  door  of 
that  chamber,  they  found  him  motionless,  silent,  and 
cold. 

The  hour  had  struck. 

The  day  of  power  and  destiny  was  done. 

The  great  man,  the  most  potent  of  any  age  and 
clime  in  this  old  world  of  sin  and  death,  had  died  of 
a  broken  heart. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 
WHO  SHALL  BE  KING? 

Independence  day,  July  4th,  1990,  the  world  was 
shocked  at  the  news  that  Morgan  Rockefeller  was 
dead.  So  momentous  was  the  event  regarded  that 
government,  society,  business  and  all  forms  of  human 
activity  were  deeply  affected  as  if  some  awful  cata- 
clysm were  impending. 

It  meant  that  all  of  North  America  and  large  in- 
terests abroad  and  millions  of  human  beings  who  were 
attached  to  the  Rockefeller  estate,  as  serfs  in  ancient 
Russia  were  attached  to  the  soil,  were  to  be  trans- 
ferred to  a  new  master. 

None  could  foresee  what  would  come  next. 

Even  in  Denver,  rebellion  failed  to  take  on  the 
finish  of  a  revolution. 

Nor  will  anybody  ever  know  whether  General 
Grant  forgot  to  press  the  buttons  which  would  destroy 
Denver,  or  they  failed,  for  some  reason,  to  respond  to 
his  touch. 

Howsoever  that  may  be,  Denver  still  reared  her 
stately  form  to  catch  the  sunshine  glow  upon  the  eter- 
nal plains. 

President  Adams,  the  trusted  friend  of  Rocke- 
feller, was  also  the  custodian  of  the  last  will  and  testa- 
ment of  the  deceased. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  87 

It  was  sealed  in  an  envelope  and  deposited  in 
the  President's  vault  in  the  executive  mansion. 

It  was  to  be  removed  from  the  envelope,  opened 
and  read  in  the  presence  of  the  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives  in  joint  session. 

As  it  disposed,  by  its  terms,  of  all  wealth  of  a  con- 
tinent, those  august  bodies  did  not  disdain  the  honor 
thus  conferred. 

But  "Congress"  in  1990,  as  in  1890  and  1790,  was 
composed  of  creatures  of  the  business  interests. 

In  1990  the  expression  could  be  simplified  by  say- 
ing that  they  were  the  creatures  of  Rockefeller. 

Therefore  Congress  accepted  the  duty  assigned 
with  a  full  consciousness  of  its  great  importance. 

Before  the  contents  of  the  will  were  known  to  any 
person,  other  than  the  scrivener  who  wrote  it,  it  was 
the  subject  of  universal  discussion. 

The  daily  prints  were  all  and  everywhere  in  Amer- 
ica the  property  of  the  Rockefeller  estate. 

Those  in  Denver,  however,  were  in  the  hands  of 
the  Revolutionists.  Masterson's  friends  dictated  their 
policy. 

The  Denver  Herald  did  not  exult  over  the  death 
of  Rockefeller.  With  becoming  dignity  it  "bowed  be- 
fore the  will  of  Almighty  God  and  recognized  that 
in  removing  Morgan  Rockefeller  by  death  He  had  inter- 
vened to  prevent  the  complete  demonetization  of 
gold  and  the  continuation  of  that  monopolistic  form 
of  Socialism  which  Rockefeller  represented." 

But  even  the  newspapers  of  the  gold  states  coun- 
seled moderation   in  the  conduct  of  the  revolution. 

It  was  evident  that  death  was  producing  a  re- 


88  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

action  in  economic  thought  and  the  people  were  quite 
ready  to  return  to  the  great  consolidation,  if  some  con- 
cession were  made  by  the  new  heirs. 

President  Adams  had  been  deeply  impressed  by 
Alden  Lowell's  mirage  reflector.  Believing  that  all 
men  were  interested  in  the  will  of  Morgan  Rocke- 
feller, he  called  that  young  gentleman  into  consulta- 
tion and,  although  Alden  was  almost  prostrated  at 
the  news  he  heard  from  Boston,  and  the  inability  of 
his  friends  to  give  him  any  clue  as  to  the  whereabouts 
of  Miss  Helen  Channing,  yet  he  was  able  to  make 
provision,  that  on  the  day  when  the  will  should  be 
read  before  the  chosen  witnesses,  the  Senate  and  House 
of  Representatives,  mirage  reflections  should  be  given 
of  the  scene  in  every  metropolitan  city  of  the  land. 

So  complete  was  the  Rockefeller  system  of  manu- 
facture and  distribution  and  so  simple  the  principle 
of  the  mirage  when  it  was  explained,  that  in  thirty 
days  after  the  death  of  the  President  of  Standard, 
arrangements  were  completed  and  the  vast  cities  of 
New  York,  Boston,  Chicago,  Philadelphia,  Minnea- 
polis, Mobile,  Galveston,  San  Francisco,  Portland  and 
Seattle,  and  a  hundred  others  of  equal  importance 
were  supplied  with  the  reflectors  and  wireless  tele- 
phones. 

Thus  the  witnesses  of  the  reading  were  to  be  multi- 
tudinous, so  that  no  room  might  exist  for  doubting 
the  genuineness  of  the  document. 

On  the  eventful  day  the  nation's  great  men  as- 
sembled at  the  nation's  capital. 

Friends  of  the  deceased  were  they  all. 

They  had  enjoyed  his  bounty  and  had  been  use- 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  89 

ful  to  him  beyond  the  ordinary  and  had  been  rewarded 
by  annuities. 

Outside  of  this  and  their  official  salaries,  if  they 
held  public  office,  they  had  no  income. 

But  they  constituted  a  glorious  and  distinguish- 
ed company. 

Learning  was  there  in  the  persons  of  the  most 
eminent  savants  of  any  age  or  country. 

Genius  was  there  in  forms  of  actual  inventors  and 
famous  authors  who  had  been  recognized  by  the  in- 
dustrial head. 

Industry  was  there  invested  with  the  greatness 
of  achievement  and  the  consciousness  of  power. 

But  except  in  the  spheres  of  sentiment  all  were 
equal  or  nearly  so. 

In  the  great  hall  of  the  representatives  the  legis- 
lators had  gathered.  The  President  himself  was  to 
be  present,  and  the  will  was  to  be  read  by  no  less  a 
personage. 

The  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  was 
to  preside. 

It  was  probably  the  first  time  in  the  history  of 
the  nation  that  a  President  had  appeared  for  any  pur- 
pose in  the  legislative  branch  except  to  take  the  oath 
of  office. 

During  the  thirty  days  which  had  elapsed  since 
the  great  man  died,  President  Adams  had  fruitlessly 
searched  for  the  missing  heir,  daughter  of  a  sister  of 
the  deceased,  who  was  believed  to  be  in  the  city  of 
Boston. 

She  was,  without  dispute,  the  only  heir  of  the 
House  of  Rockefeller,  and  few  doubted  that  the  great 


90  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

bulk  of  the  estate  would  be  given  her.  She  was  sought 
for  as  diligently  as  if  she  were  the  heir  to  a  throne, 
and  the  mystery  surrounding  her  disappearance  grieved 
and  perplexed  His  Excellency  and  the  people.  As 
for  Alden,  he  had  learned  from  the  President  himself 
that  the  heir  they  sought  was  none  other  than  the 
beautiful  girl,  whose  influence  had  been  both  his 
undoing  and  his  good  fortune,  and  whose  loss  had 
now  nearly  prostrated  him. 

Thus  the  distressing  situation  caused  by  the 
death  of  the  Master,  and  the  disappearance  of  his  sole 
heir,  increased  the  uncertainty  of  the  nation,  and  when 
the  Chief  Magistrate  and  Cabinet  officers  entered 
the  great  hall,  beyond  the  noise  of  many  persons 
rising  to  quietly  greet  the  nation's  political  head, 
no  sound  was  heard.  The  scene  was  solemn  and 
impressive  and  when  the  chaplain  led  in  prayer,  the 
reverence  shown  and  undoubtedly  felt  by  the  multitude 
of  spectators,  not  only  in  the  capital,  but  in  the  myriad 
cities  all  over  the  land,  betokened  the  sincere  regard 
in  which  religion  was  held. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
THE  WILL 

President  Adams  preceded  the  ceremony  of  break- 
ing the  seal  which  enveloped  the  will  by  a  brief  address. 

"Gentlemen  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives and  Fellow  Citizens :  We  are  met  to  witness 
the  transfer  of  interests  so  vast  that  it  is  almost  im- 
possible for  the  mind  to  comprehend  the  importance 
of  this  event.  Our  great  and  noble  friend,  the  strong 
and  upright  master,  the .  learned  and  capable  di- 
rector, the  providential  trustee  of  unlimited  wealth, 
is  dead;  and,  although  we  deeply  mourn  his  death,  yet 
we  are  compelled  to  turn  from  our  sorrow  and  con- 
cern ourselves  with  the  affairs  of  life. 

"We  realize  that  the  stability  of  human  society 
depends  upon  the  recognition  of  the  right  of  each 
person  to  acquire  and  own  property,  and  the  remark- 
able family  from  which  the  deceased  is  descended 
has  displayed  abilities  in  that  respect  unparalleled  in 
the  history  of  man.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  all  things 
having  any  value  are,  under  the  forms  of  law,  the 
property  of  the  Rockefeller  estate.  We  are  about 
to  learn  from  the  last  testament  of  this  great  man 
how  he  wishes  his  estate  to  be  distributed,  and  I 
am  happy  in  the  belief  that  religion  and  educa- 
tion have  fitted  the  one   hundred   and  eighty   million 


92  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

people  of  the  republic  to  approve  any  disposition 
he  may  have  made  of  it.     I  will  now  break  the  seal." 

Holding  the  envelope  containing  the  will  be- 
fore him,  the  President  slowly  and  with  impressive 
dignity  removed  the  cover,  and  ostentatiously  ex- 
hibited the  document. 

Probably  all  present  rather  expected  that  an 
instrument  which  transferred  possession  of  so  vast 
an  estate,  estimated  at  over  three  hundred  billion 
dollars,  would  be  bulky  and  voluminous,  but  were 
surprised  to  observe  that  it  was,  in  truth,  extremely 
short. 

Even  President  Adams  looked  surprised,  but 
said  nothing  and  read  as  follows : 

"Last  Will  and  Testament  of  Morgan  Rocke- 
feller: 

"I,  Morgan  Rockefeller,  of  Montraven,  Missouri, 
being  of  sound  and  disposing  mind  and  memory 
and  in  good  health  do  make  and  declare  this  in- 
strument to  be  my  last  will  and  testament; 

"Item:  I  hereby  revoke  all  former  wills  here- 
tofore made  by  me. 

' '  Item :  I  give,  devise  and  bequeath  all  my  prop- 
erty of  whatsoever  name  and  nature,  both  real  and 
personal,  to  the  United  States  Government,  as  it 
now  is  or  hereafter  may  be  constituted,  in  trust  for 
the  people  of  the  United  States,  and  authorize  said 
trustee  to  operate  the  industries  or  to  sell  and  dis- 
pose of  the  said  property,  or  any  part  thereof,  and 
use  the  proceeds  for  the  public  good  or  distribute 
the  same  equally  among  the  beneficiaries,  as  it  may 
be  deemed  proper. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  93 

"Item:  Said  bequest  is  so  made  subject  to  the 
annuities  heretofore  by  me  granted,  and  said  annui- 
ties shall  be  continued  in  force  during  the  natural 
life  of  each  annuitant. 

"Item:  Said  bequest  is  further  subject  to  an 
annuity  of  one  million  dollars  which  I  hereby  di- 
rect shall  be  paid  to  my  niece,  only  daughter  of  my 
deceased  sister  Helen,  each  year  during  her  natural 
life. 

"Item:  I  hereby  constitute  and  appoint  Hon. 
Josiah  Quincy  Adams,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  to 
be  the  sole  executor  of  this  will." 

The  will  was  executed  as  provided  by  the  laws 
of  the  State  of  Missouri. 

To  say  that  the  people  all  over  the  nation, 
everywhere,  were  astonished,  does  hardly  more  than 
suggest  the  condition  of  mind  in  which  this  inex- 
plicable conduct  of  a  proprietor  and  this  remarkable 
will  of  a  grasping  monopolist,  left  the  people. 

They  were  for  a  moment  dazed. 

President  Adams  could  not  believe  his  eyes, 
his  ears  or  his  own  voice. 

In  evident  confusion  he  referred  back  to  the 
item  involving  the  bequest  to  the  government,  clear- 
ed his  throat  again  and  again,  turned  pale,  and  look- 
ed up  blankly  at  the  audience,  as  if  he  had  made 
some  palpable  blunder  and  could  find  no  way  to 
correct  it. 

Finally  he  recovered  his  composure. 

"The  will  of  God  be  done!"  he  exclaimed  de- 
voutly. "This  extraordinary  generosity  on  the  part 
of  Mr.   Morgan  Rockefeller  is  made  apparent  to 


94  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

all  the  nation  in  an  instant.  What  can  or  shall  be 
done  with  it  remains  to  be  seen.  But/'  continued 
he,  "I  hold  in  my  hand  another  writing  which  is 
taken  from  the  same  cover  with  the  testament  and, 
as  requested  by  Mr.  Rockefeller,  in  his  life  time,  I 
will  read  it  as  a  companion  piece  to  his  will."  He 
then  read  with  an  unsteady  voice,  as  follows: 
'TO  THE  PEOPLE  OF  THIS  AND  ALL  COM- 
ING AGES: 

"You  have  heard  the  will  of  him  who  during 
his  life  was  denounced  openly  and  secretly  as  an 
autocrat,  a  monopolist,  a  dictator  and  a  tyrant. 

"You  are  surprised  at  its  contents,  for  you  sup- 
posed his  efforts  at  consolidation  and  concentra- 
tion were  the  outcome  of  a  selfish  desire  for  power. 

"You  gave  him  no  credit  as  a  lover  of  the  human 
race. 

"You  saw  him  intent  on  completely  eliminat- 
ing all  competition  and  creating  an  economic  system 
which  he  and  his  successors  should  control  per- 
petually. 

"That  this  has  been  accomplished  is  beyond 
dispute. 

"The  development  of  system  among  men  is  all 
that  makes  history  interesting. 

"The  three  evolutionary  stages  which  are  now 
apparent  are  the  tribal  or  semi-barbarous,  the 
military  or  feudal  and  the  commercial. 

"The  splendid  cooperation,  discipline  and  uni- 
formity of  the  military  system  was  made  possible 
by  educating  large  bodies  of  men  and  women  to 
act,  move  and  think  together.     It  was  the  develop- 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  95 

ment  of  the  principle  of  concentration  and  con- 
solidation which  united  many  small,  nomadic  tribes, 
and  made  a  great  nation. 

"The  Military  system  stole  into  the  world  and 
took  possession  of  it  when  the  tribal  system  was 
asleep. 

"The  commercial  system  stole  in  and  took  ad- 
vantage of  the  weakness  of  the  Military  system.  It 
was  not  placed  on  its  foundation  by  the  Military 
system,  but  in  spite  of  it. 

"The  president  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company 
has  taken  advantage  of  the  weakness  of  the  com- 
mercial system,  and  has  made  the  great  Merger  a 
fact. 

"The  world  has  been  mistaken  about  the  power 
of  government. 

"It  has  no  power  which  it  did  not  borrow  from 
the  economic  system  just  as  the  moon  is  supposed 
to  borrow  its  light  from  the  sun. 

"Government,  in  view  of  the  perfection  of  the 
economic  system,  is  a  dead  planet  and  has  no  light 
or  power  of  its  own. 

"In  the  time  of  John  D.  Rockefeller  men 
thought  government  was  the  sum  of  all  earthly 
power. 

"Because  they  held  to  that  error  the  Rocke- 
feller and  Morgan  families  were  able  to  dominate 
the  people  and  own  all  property  and  the  national 
and  state  governments. 

"No  government  ever  created  an  economic 
system. 


96  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

"Every  economic  or  business  system  creates 
its  own  government  and  makes  it  what  it  will. 

"The  Feudal  government  made  an  absolute 
monarchy,  but  that  was  needed  by  the  landed  aris- 
tocracy, whose  sole  business  was  landlordism. 

"The  Military  system,  which  included  the  Feu- 
dal, required  a  dictator. 

"The  Commercial  system  developed  slowly  and 
finally  compelled  the  military  king  and  dictator 
to  be  governed  by,  and  take  orders  from,  a  parliament 
whose  members  were  elected  by  the  commercial 
interests. 

"The  consolidated  merger  or  autocratic  system 
of  the  Rockefellers  does  not  concern  itself  much  with 
any  other  government  than  its  own,  and  tolerates 
the  political  system  as  an  empty  compliment  to  a 
vain  but  submissive  people. 

"LISTEN,  0  AMERICA,  AS  MY  WORDS 
ARE  READ  TO  YOU  NOW! 

"Had  I,  Morgan  Rockefeller,  chosen  to  dis- 
pose of  the  property  under  my  control  by  transfer- 
ring it  to  another  industrial  autocrat,  I  would  have 
perpetuated  a  system  of  selfishness.  My  life  has 
been  unselfish.  It  is  not  immodest  for  me  to  say 
none  more  unselfish  than  I  ever  lived  except  the 
Nazarene.  I  may  say  this  because  in  the  desolation 
and  isolation  which  my  position  on  the  barren  summit 
of  wealth  placed  me,  I  have  had  neither  the  love  nor 
the  fellowship  of  my  fellow  men,  and  have  lived  a 
life  of  loneliness  more  complete  than  Cruso  on  his 
desert  isle.  My  plan  has  been  to  consolidate  all 
wealth   and    inaugurate   a   system   of   Democratic 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  97 

Socialism.     I    have   accomplished    my   purpose   as 
to  consolidation.     I  leave  the  rest  to  you." 


CHAPTER  XX. 
THE  NIECE  OF  THE  KING. 

The  world  looked  very  bright  to  Alden  Lowell 
after  his  great  exhibition  of  reflectors  at  Mont- 
raven  Castle  that  afternoon  in  July.  He  cared 
very  little  for  the  fame  which  he  had  now  achieved, 
for  that  had  been  so  long  in  contemplation  as  to  be 
both  familiar  and  contemptible.  He  cared  little 
for  the  plaudits  of  the  multitude  or  the  great  politi- 
cians. He  did,  however,  value  very  highly  the 
applause  of  President  Rockefeller  and  President 
Adams,  but  even  that  was  of  but  slight  importance 
as  compared  with  the  pleasure  which  he  knew  the 
Lady  Harvester  of  the  Reapers  would  feel  on  learn- 
ing of  his  reinstatement  and  success. 

But  his  elation  was  doomed  to  end  in  confu- 
sion and  gloom.  His  effort  to  get  the  Lady  Har- 
vester at  the  Watertown  Standard  by  telephone, 
failed.  He  could  neither  reach  that  young  lady  nor 
Mrs.  Locksley,  her  guardian.  The  next  day  he 
received  two  shocks  which  threw  him  into  a  condition 
of  despair.  It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that  the 
death  of  President  Rockefeller  was  a  circumstance 
of  comparatively  slight  importance  to  Alden.  The 
disappearance  of  Helen  Channing  was  almost  terrify- 
ing.    He  could  not  account  for  it.     He  was  informed 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  99 

that  abduction  had  been  suggested,  and  there  was 
no  other  theory  which  appealed  to  him. 

But  why  should  anybody  wish  to  abduct  a 
young  lady  who  could  not  possibly  have  any  enemies? 
He  bethought  himself  of  her  association  with  the 
fraternal  order,  'The  Reapers",  and  his  own  ex- 
perience as  one  under  suspicion,  but  he  was  sufficient- 
ly acquainted  with  the  Standard  system  to  know 
that,  whatever  men  might  believe  or  rumor  might 
allege,  its  methods  were  not  in  violation  of  the  law. 
When  it  wanted  to  pursue  a  course  which  was  found 
to  be  unlawful,  it  invariably,  in  these  days,  abandon- 
ed such  course  until  it  could  get  the  law  changed. 
Abduction  was  out  of  the  range  of  its  possibilities. 

President  Adams  had,  shortly  after  the  decease 
of  President  Rockefeller,  requested  Alden  to  call  at 
the  Executive  Mansion.  The  subject  was  the  pos- 
sibility of  installing  mirage  reflectors  for  use  at  the 
reading  of  the  Rockefeller  will.  Incidentally  the 
President  referred  to  the  deceased  President's  niece 
who  was  supposed  to  be  somewhere  in  the  vicinity 
of  Boston. 

"I  am  sure,"  said  Alden,  "I  do  not  recall  that 
any  person  by  the  name  of  Rockefeller  lived  in 
Boston  or  its  suburbs  in  my  time.  It  seems  to  me 
I  would  have  heard  of  it  for  no  doubt  society  would 
have  been  clamorous  for  her  presence." 

"But,"  quickly  declared  President  Adams,  look- 
ing surprised,  "her  name  was  not  Rockefeller.  Mr. 
Rockefeller's  sister  married  a  gentleman  of  New 
England  descent  who  had  some  revolutionary  ideas. 
They  had  a  daughter  whom  they  named  Helen  and 


100  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

they,  shortly  after,  died.  The  one  weak  thing  in 
Mr.  Rockefeller's  life  was  his  determination  not  to 
see  this  niece,  and  although  he  provided  for  her  and 
placed  her  in  the  charge  of  a  reliable  person  who  was 
in  the  mother's  family,  yet  he  remained  a  stranger 
to  her  and  she  to  him." 

Alden  had  turned  pale  during  the  President's 
recital  and  seemed  quite  agitated. 

"But  you  have  failed  to  state  her  last  name, 
Mr.  President,"  he  exclaimed. 

"Oh!  Did  you  not  know  that  the  name  of  the 
niece  was  Channing?  Helen  Channing?"  The  Presi- 
dent was  also  surprised. 

"Your  Excellency,"  said  Alden  with  agitation, 
"I  know  her  well.  Never  did  I  suspect  that  she 
was  the  niece  of  the  President  of  Standard." 

It  was  now  the  President's  turn  to  be  agitated. 
He  whirled  his  chair  around  to  face  Alden  and  leaned 
forward. 

"You  know  her,  Alden?  You  know  her!  Where 
is  she  then?" 

Alden  then  related  all  he  knew  of  Helen  and 
her  residence  in  Watertown.  He  told  about  her 
association  with  the  Baptist  church,  but  never  a 
word  about  her  connection  with  the  Reapers  of  the 
World.  Then  he  explained  his  efforts  to  reach  the 
Watertown  Hotel  by  telephone  and  his  inability 
to  have  Miss  Channing  placed  on  the  line. 

"I  did  learn  from  the  lady  in  charge  of  the 
Watertown  Standard,"  he  continued,  "it  was  sus- 
pected by  Mrs.  Locksley  and  her  friends  that  the 
lady  had  been  seized  on  one  of  her  walks  in  the 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  101 

country  and  was,  perhaps,  being  held  for  ransom." 

"That  may  be,"  assented  the  President,  "as 
she  is  now  a  great  heiress.  Still,  we  have  no  proof, 
no  clue.  The  Boston  police,  Standard's  police  and 
all  the  forces  of  the  nation  are  searching  for  her. 
By  the  way,  Alden,"  the  President  had  assumed 
quite  a  familiar  manner  toward  the  young  man, 
"can't  you  put  the  reflector  into  service  to  find  her?" 

"Indeed,  I  could,  Your  Excellency,  if  I  had  any 
intimation  of  her  whereabouts." 

The  time  of  the  President  was,  of  course,  very 
valuable  and  the  interview  with  Alden  had  to  be 
brought  to  a  close.  Arrangements  were  made  for 
the  latter,  not  only  to  set  in  motion  the  machinery 
which  would  manufacture  and  distribute  the  Mirage 
Reflector,  but  also  to  search  everywhere  to  find  the 
stolen  girl. 

But  Alden  did  not  feel  elated  over  the  discovery 
that  Miss  Channing  was  a  Rockefeller  and  the  heir- 
ess. Although  he  had  never  spoken  to  her  about  the 
state  of  his  mind  toward  her,  yet  he  had  begun  to 
realize  that  she  was  pretty  well  bound  up  in  his  life, 
or  rather  that  his  life  was  pretty  well  bound  up  in 
hers.  But  the  fact  that  she  was  heir  to  everything 
and  likely  to  be  entitled  to  exercise  dominion  over 
him  also,  seemed  to  place  a  gulf  between  them  which 
looked  impassable.  He  went  to  his  quarters  in 
Montraven  Castle  feeling  that  the  world  was  gloomy 
enough. 

When  he  arrived  at  the  grand  entrance,  there 
stepped  out  from  the  crowd,  which  always  waits 
around  that  famous  gate,  a  little,  thin  man  whom 


102  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

he  thought  he  had  seen  somewhere  before.  The 
little  man  spoke  to  him. 

"Mr.  Lowell,"  said  he,  taking  off  his  hat  and 
appearing  quite  deferential,  but  not  in  the  least 
abashed,   "may  I  speak  to  you  a  few  minutes?" 

Alden  was  not  in  a  confidential  or  even  gracious 
mood. 

"I  am  in  a  hurry,"  he  growled,  without  stop- 
ping. He  had  an  unpleasant  impression  in  his 
mind  of  something  which  he  could  not  quite  recall. 

"I  wish  to  talk  with  you,"  persisted  the  man, 
still  preserving  his  deferential  but  unabashed  man- 
ner, "about  Miss  Helen  Channing.  I  am  just  in 
from  Boston."  Alden  stopped  short  and  caught 
the  little  man  almost  roughly  by  the  shoulder. 

"What  do  you  know  of  her?"  he  demanded  in 
a  gruff  whisper. 

"I  can  not  tell  you  here,"  was  the  answer.  "I 
am  a  detective,  and  have  been  at  work  on  the  case 
since  the  night  of  her  disappearance.  Let  us  go 
into  the  castle." 

Placing  his  hat  back  on  his  head  the  little  de- 
tective walked  on  with  Alden,  who  had  not  les- 
sened his  pace. 

"Can  you  get  in?"  asked  Alden  pointing  ahead. 

"I  have  the  freedom  of  the  castle,"  answered 
the  detective.  "I  have  passports  also,"  he  continu- 
ed. 

They  went  in  silently,  ascended  to  Alden's 
apartments  and  entered. 

"Now,"  demanded  Alden  as  he  turned  on  the 
lights,  "your  name,  please?" 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  103 

"Moreland  Hughes,  Boston,  Massachusetts," 
responded  the  detective. 

It  should  be  stated  here  that,  since  he  dis- 
covered that  Miss  Helen  Channing  was  a  member 
of  the  Reapers,  having  learned  in  the  course  of 
business  that  she  was  Morgan  Rockefeller's  niece 
and  only  heir,  his  views  had  greatly  changed,  not 
only  with  regard  to  Alden  and  Helen,  but  also  with 
regard  to  Fraternal  Societies,  or  rather  with  regard 
to  the  Reapers  of  the  World.  It  was  his  firm  be- 
lief that  the  young  lady  would  inherit  the  entire 
continent  from  her  uncle,  and  that  it  would  be  a 
good  stroke  of  policy  to  join  the  Fraternal  order 
which  was  her  pet  society.  More  than  this,  he  had 
made  some  investigations,  and  they  had  been  so 
far  successful  that  he  knew  and  understood  what  the 
Reapers  believed,  and  had  come  to  be  something  of 
a  Fraternalist  himself. 

"Do  you  know,  Mr.  Hughes,  where  Miss 
Channing  is?"  asked  Alden. 

"I  do  not,  but  I  have  some  information  which 
may  furnish  a  clue,"  began  Hughes. 

The  detective  then  told  of  his  efforts  to  gather 
evidence  in  and  around  Watertown  relating  to  the 
heiress  of  the  Rockefellers,  and  her  disappearance; 
how  he  had  not  been  able  to  find  any  person  who  had 
any  recollection  of  seeing  a  young  lady  answering 
the  description  of  Miss  Channing  that  evening  ex- 
cept a  boy  who  was  too  young  to  be  credited.  But 
the  little  boy  had  told  him  that  while  he  was  run- 
ning home  from  a  neighbor's  house  after  dark  he 
saw  what  looked  like  a  ladv  in  the  darkness.     He 


104  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

was  walking  very  fast  and  quite  a  distance  ahead. 
He  saw  some  men,  he  thought  they  were  men, 
rush  out  and  surround  her.  He  couldn't  say  how 
many  there  were,  but  they  made  no  noise  and  she 
didn't  even  scream.  They  threw  a  sheet  or  blanket 
over  her.  He  had  thrown  himself  face  down  in 
the  grass  and  was  frightened  almost  to  death. 
What  became  of  these  people  he  didn't  know,  but 
he  lay  there  on  his  face  a  long  time  and,  when  he 
recovered  courage,  he  went  home. 

"Now,"  continued  Hughes,  "I  have  found  that 
some  strange  looking  men  were  seen  about  the 
streets  of  Watertown  that  day,  several  of  whom  look- 
ed like  Mexicans.  I  have  found  that  persons  in  the 
vicinity  of  Lynn,  Salem  and  the  cities  on  Cape  Ann, 
saw  a  company  of  strangers  pass  through  those  cities, 
keeping  to  the  most  unfrequented  roads.  They  say 
that  some  of  them  were  Mexicans  and  that  they  rode 
in  autos.  They  do  not  mention  seeing  a  lady  with 
them.  A  small  winged  ship  was  in  the  offing  near 
Rockport  for  several  days  and  this  disappeared  the 
day  following  the  disappearance  of  Miss  Channing. 
I  believe  that  the  young  lady  has  been  seized  by  the 
outlaw,  Phil  Jamieson,  and  his  band  who  have  their 
rendezvous  at  Medellin,  in  the  Little  Andes  in  the  In- 
terior of  Colombia,  South  America,  and  that  the  seizure 
has  been  made  because  they  knew  she  was  the  Rocke- 
feller heir  and  that  Rockefeller  would  pay  a  large  ran- 
som to  rescue  her." 


CHAPTER    XXI. 
THE  REFLECTOR  AND  THE  DETECTIVE. 

The  detective's  statement  was  far  from  satis- 
factory, but  it  was  at  least  suggestive.  Alden  and  he 
were  long  together  that  evening  discussing  the  methods 
to  be  employed  for  solving  the  mystery  which  per- 
plexed and  distressed  them.  It  was  agreed  that  on 
the  next  day,  five  days  from  the  departure  of  the  ship 
from  the  coast  of  Cape  Ann,  the  mirage  chamber  would 
be  called  into  requisition.  It  was  the  opinion  of  Hughes 
that  if  his  conclusions  were  correct,  allowing  for 
the  rapid  flight  of  the  ship  and  the  inaccessibility  of 
the  Andes  to  conveyances  of  that  description  and  the 
necessity  which  the  captors  would  find,  for  traveling 
on  horseback  on  all  interior  trails  in  Colombia,  Jamie- 
son  would  be  somewhere  on  the  great  trail  from  Porto 
Berrio  to  Medellin. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  Alden  and  Hughes  met 
in  the  Mirage  Chamber,  and  Alden  lost  no  time  in 
adjusting  his  reflector  to  search  for  the  lost  maiden. 
In  order  to  do  this  it  was  necessary  to  ascertain  the 
latitude  and  longitude  of  Porto  Berrio.  This  having 
been  done,  the  reflector  was  put  in  motion  and  the 
atmosphere  prepared  by  the  use  of  chemicals  and 
lights. 

Thereupon   the   Medellin   trail   appeared.     High 


106  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

above  the  torrential  Nus,  and  its  miasmatic  valley 
along  the  slopes  of  the  Little  Andes,  its  narrow  length 
and  winding  way  stretched  westward  to  the  towering 
peaks  beyond.  A  profusion  of  tropical  foliage,  be- 
wildering flowers,  jungles  whose  every  branch  and 
tree  were  intertwined  and  intertwined  again  with 
deathless  vines,  burst  upon  the  view.  Snow  clad 
mountains  rose  to  touch  the  sky.  Groves  of  orange 
and  cocoanut  spread  down  the  slopes  to  hide  beneath 
the  valley's  lake  of  mist.  The  trail  built  by  the  Span- 
ish conquerors  at  a  date  which  makes  Plymouth's 
foundation  seem  a  modern  incident,  is  a  marvel  of 
life  and  traffic.  Day  by  day  the  strange,  motley, 
burden-bearing  hordes  of  tropical  humanity  push  and 
crowd  to  and  from  the  city  of  trade  and  pleasure. 

Such  a  scene  of  ill  regulated  commerce  belongs 
to  the  middle  ages,  not  to  well  ordered  and  system- 
atized civilization.  An  army  of  mules,  heavy  laden, 
but  broken  up  into  a  multitude  of  small  bands,  jostle 
one  another,  and  wreck  many  a  cargo  on  the  way  up 
and  down  the  steep  declivities  along  the  road  to  Medel- 
lin.  Black  and  brown  peons,  negro  and  Indian,  with 
backs  burdened  with  freight,  climb  the  cliffs  bare- 
footed. Women  of  many  tribes,  brief  skirted,  shoe- 
less and  dark  eyed,  with  forms  toughened  by  exposure 
and  faces  wrinkled  with  work  and  worry,  balance  big 
bundles  on  steady  heads  without  aid  of  hand  or  cord. 
Gay  cavalcades  of  well  dressed  and  handsome  men 
and  ladies,  mounted  on  dashing  steeds,  move  proudly 
along  the  great  highway  to  Medellin.  On  this  road 
no  wheel  may  turn  for  the  constant  tramp  of  heavy 
beasts  of  burden  has  worn  deep  ruts  in  the  way  and 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  10T 

equestrians  must  lift  the  stirrup  high,  in  many  places, 
to  avoid  being  caught  in  the  narrow  walls. 

This  is  what  Alden  and  Hughes  saw.  But  not 
yet  did  anything  suggest  in  that  strange  land  the 
object  of  their  search.  All  that  day,  in  truth,  until 
the  sun  refused  to  make  mists  and  pictures  in  the  cham- 
ber at  Montraven,  they  scanned  the  road  to  Med- 
ellen.     But  their  search  was  vain. 

Next  day  they  took  up  the  work  where  it  was  left 
the  day  before. 

Again  the  reflector  brought  to  them  the  road  to 
Medellin.  The  River  in  the  Nus  Valley  where  the 
boas  are  pets  of  native  dwellers;  La  Florida,  Christa- 
lis,  San  Roche,  Santo  Domingo,  Hiradota,  all  were 
reproduced  in  the  chamber  to  the  vigilant  eyes  of  the 
youth  and  the  officer.  But  no  train  of  lawless  riders 
appeared  along  the  way. 

They  were  almost  convinced  that  there  would  be 
no  relief  offered  in  this  quarter,  when  the  level  road 
beyond  Hiradota  came  within  the  scene.  The  trail 
was  now  no  longer  in  the  mountains.  Nearly  two 
hundred  mles  of  it,  two  hundred  miles  of  thirst  and 
breathless  heat,  two  hundred  miles  of  wilderness  and 
barren  peaks  relieved  by  quaint  old  Spanish  towns  and 
Inca  rest-houses,  had  been  scanned.  Now  the  smooth, 
level  road  became  an  avenue  on  the  polished  banks 
of  the  beautiful  Porce  river.  Vast  and  precipitous 
hill-sides,  denuded  of  forest  and  devoted  to  the  culture 
of  corn  or  cane,  or  used  as  grazing  fields  for  white 
cattle  which  looked  like  little  spots  of  snow  against  a 
green  background,  rose  on  either  side  of  the  river  and 
road.     White  ribbons  of  water  seemed  to  leap  from 


108  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

the  sky  and  drop  great  distances  below  the  hill  tops  in 
their  hurry  to  reach  the  Porce. 

The  scene  was  so  entrancing  that  even  Alden  and 
Hughes,  despite  their  intense  anxiety,  could  not  for- 
bear to  remark  its  beauty.  But  here  the  busy  life 
has  taken  on  that  settled  character  which  denotes  the 
approach  to  a  great  city.  The  road  is  no  longer  a 
trail  but  a  broad  avenue.  Many  trails  have  entered 
it  and  new  forms  of  industry  appear.  Gay  cavalcades 
of  richly  dressed  ladies  and  gentlemen  are  more  in 
evidence  now.  In  addition  to  those  features  which 
distinguished  the  trail  across  the  divides,  little  children 
are  seen,  barefooted,  and  with  straight  black  hair  and 
swarthy  complexions,  bearing  burdens  braced  by  bands 
across  forehead  and  around  waist, while  stalwartlndian 
women  carry  great  bundles  of  faggots  on  their  heads. 
In  that  hot  climate  fuel  is  not  for  warmth  but  only 
for  the  oven. 

And  as  they  viewed  this  great  multitude  moving 
toward  the  city,  a  company,  which  had  entered  the 
avenue  from  one  of  the  lesser  trails,  challenged  their 
attention.  It  was  composed  of  horsemen,  all  appar- 
eled in  khaki,  and  after  the  fashion  of  the  rough  riders 
of  Roosevelt's  time.  There  were  at  least  forty  riders 
and  they  moved  forward  with  a  regularity  suggestive 
of  discipline,  two  by  two,  twenty  leading,  then  a  cov- 
ered car  like  the  riksha  of  the  Japanese,  borne  by  four 
stout,  barefooted  peons,  then  the  twenty  horsemen 
ranged  two  by  two,  and  apparently  acting  as  a  rear 
guard.  The  leader,  white  haired  and  gray  bearded, 
rode  a  coal  black  horse,  and  if,  in  place  of  the  peaked 
panama,  a  crown  had  adorned  his  head,  might  have 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  109 

been  mistaken  for  one  of  the  kings  of  antiquity  who 
had  somehow  been  able  to  escape  from  his  position  in 
some  old  picture. 

It'  was  impossible  to  discover  what  the  car  con- 
tained. The  company  of  horsemen  came  on  into  the 
mirage  chamber  and  moved  with  their  mysterious 
charge  along  the  broad  avenue  which  entered  Medellin. 
Several  times  Alden  placed  himself  in  front  of  the  mov- 
ing figures,  but  he  could  find  no  solution  of  the  mystery 
of  the  car,  and  the  fact  that  the  cavalcade  accompany- 
ing moved  slowly  and  that  everywhere  as  they 
approached,  the  people  received  them  with  respect, 
caused  both  Alden  and  Hughes  to  think  that  the 
leader  was,  perhaps,  a  great  dignitary  of  the  Hermit 
republic. 

As  they  watched,  suddenly  'a  single  horseman 
came  galloping  at  full  speed  up  to  the  leader  and  as  he 
checked  his  steed  and  seemed  to  speak  to  him,  the 
whole  cavalcade  stopped.  The  curtain  of  the  car  was 
moved  aside  and  Alden  caught  sight  of  a  face,  the  face 
of  a  lady,  but  so  languid  and  listless  was  its  expression 
that  he  would  have  concluded  at  once  not  to  continue 
his  quest  further  in  that  direction,  only  on  closer  in- 
spection he  felt  sure  there  was  something  familiar 
about  the  form  and  manner  which  he  could  not  define. 
The  curtain  was  parted  scarcely  a  second  and  then 
closed.  The  cavalcade  moved  on  faster,  the  porters 
carrying  the  car  stepped  into  a  trot  and  the  horsemen 
urging  their  horses  forward  at  the  same  pace.  The 
cavalcade  was  just  entering  the  City  of  Medellin  when 
the  tropical  night  fell  suddenly  and  the  reflector  re- 
fused to  continue  the  scene. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
THE   ABDUCTION. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  amplify  the  description 
given  by  the  boy  whom  Hughes  quoted  when  he  re- 
lated the  facts  upon  which  he  based  his  suspicion  that 
Phil  Jamieson,  in  North  America  called  the  outlaw, 
in  South  America  known  as  the  head  of  the  Liberal 
Party  in  Colombia,  had  secured  possession,  by  violence, 
of  the  person  of  Morgan  Rockefeller's  only  legal  heir. 

What  the  boy  saw,  what  the  mirage  suggested, 
and  what  Hughes  concluded,  were  all  true  and  even 
the  victim  of  the  assault,  the  seizure  and  the  captivity, 
could  not  have  given  a  fuller  account.  All  Helen 
Channing  knew  was  that  while  she  was  out  in  the 
country  near  her  home,  somewhat  'belated  and  in  the 
darkness,  in  a  lonely  and  secluded  place,  a  blanket  or 
muffler  of  some  kind  was  suddenly  thrown  over  her 
and  she  was  seized  and  overpowered.  She  was  neither 
able  to  resist  nor  cry  out  and  was  just  conscious  that 
an  anaesthetic  was  being  administered  before  she  lost 
consciousness,  altogether. 

When  she  regained  consciousness  she  was  in  a 
covered  automobile  which  was  moving  very  rapidly. 
She  had  no  compani  on  and  there  was  no  opening  through 
which  she  could  see  the  country.  Her  first  thought 
was  to  jump  out  blindly  regardless  of  consequences. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  111 

But  she  soon  found  that  she  could  not  release  herself 
from  the  chains  which  bound  her  securely,  around  the 
waist  and  ankles,  to  the  carriage. 

The  auto  moved  rapidly,  flew  in  fact,  until  it 
came  to  a  stop  in  a  wild  place  on  the  shores  of  the  ocean. 
She  had  no  idea  where  they  were.  Four  large,  power- 
ful men  opened  the  carriage  door,  unfastened  the 
chains  and  with  a  politeness  and  grace  of  manner,  not 
possible  in  ordinary  ruffians,  and  with  a  gentleness  not 
associated  with  restraint,  asked  her  to  kindly  accom- 
pany them  to  the  boat  near  by.  It  was  evident  that 
these  men  were  ready  to  compel  her  to  accompany 
them  despite  their  gentle  manner.  She  besought  them 
to  explain.  They  assured  her  that  she  was  in  no 
danger  and  that  she  would  be  treated  with  the  highest 
consideration,  but  that  circumstances  required  them 
to  insist  on  her  going  with  them.  They  begged  her 
to  go  quietly  as  they  would  wish  not  to  use  force. 

"Believe  me,  young  lady,"  said  the  man  who 
seemed  to  be  in  charge  and  whose  face  was  as  kindly 
in  expression  as  his  manner  was  in  gentleness,  "your 
safety  and  honor  I  will  defend  with  my  life,  if  necess- 
ary." 

She  saw  no  alternative,  and  entering  the  boat, 
was  conveyed  to  a  winged  ship  which  lay  some  distance 
off  the  shore.  Almost  immediately  on  her  being  placed 
aboard,  the  ship  weighed  anchor  and  made  for  the 
open  sea.  Her  surroundings  would  have  been  comfort- 
able if  she  had  not  been  distressed  by  the  terror  of 
her  misfortune.  She  was  a  prisoner  and  could  neither 
understand  why,  nor  what  her  destination  was.  Yet 
she  was  closely  watched  that  she  might  not  be  in  want 


112  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

or  do  violence  to  herself.  Now  that  she  was,  in  a 
measure,  certain  that  she  was  a  prisoner  and  yet  that 
for  some  reason  she  was  not  only  in  no  danger  person- 
ally, but  that  her  captors  were  anxious  about  her  wel- 
fare, Helen  had  no  thought  of  desperate  expediencies, 
for  she  had  a  courage  which  belongs  only  to  those  who 
look  for  the  good  in  life  and  not  for  the  evil  and  who 
believe  that  truth  and  not  error  overcomes. 

She  did  not  know  the  direction  the  winged  ship 
took.  The  air,  however,  became,  in  the  course  of 
time,  oppressively  sultry.  She  saw  a  great  many 
islands  as  they  proceeded.  Books  and  evidences  of 
refinement  were  all  around  in  her  stateroom.  On 
the  monotonous  waste  of  the  ocean  she  read  much, 
although  her  agitation  was  still  such  that  this  occupa- 
tion could  not  be  long  sustained. 

At  last  they  arrived  at  a  shore  which  she  knew 
from  the  sultry  heat  and  the  foliage  of  the  trees,  more 
particularly  the  palm  groves,  was  in  the  tropical 
south.  Up  a  great  river  they  ploughed.  The  current 
was  swift  and  the  banks  were  inhabited  by  a  people 
who  were  nearly  or  quite  savage.  Even  when  they 
passed  towns  the  inhabitants  came  out  on  the  river- 
side and  the  children  were  naked  and  grown  people 
were  nearly  so.  Interminable  banks  of  vegetation,  vast 
forests  whose  trunks  were  covered  with  a  dense  mass 
of  flowering  vines,  stood  high  on  either  side  and  above 
them  a  great  tree  which  spread  its  foliage  from  the 
summit  of  a  tall  column  like  an  umbrella.  She  had 
never  seen  the  far  south  before,  but  now  she  knew  she 
was  in  the  tropics.     But  where? 

She  questioned  one  of  her  guards. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  113 

"I  shall  be  pleased  to  serve Senorita  in  every  way," 
he  said,  bowing  and  smiling  as  only  a  Latin  can  bow 
and  smile,  "but  I  am  prohibited  from  giving  answers 
to  questions  affecting  your  whereabouts." 

She  did  not  seek  information  again.  She  would 
have  given  the  world  to  be  able  to  communicate  with 
Mrs.  Locksley  whom  she  loved  as  a  mother.  She 
feared  that  the  Reapers  would  suffer  in  the  absence 
of  the  Lady  Harvester.  She  thought  of  the  certain 
agitation  of  Mr.  Alden  Lowell,  whom  she  felt  a  deep 
interest  in,  a  deeper  interest  than  she  had  been  able 
to  define. 

Finally  they  reached  a  miserable  little  town  on 
the  bank,  composed  of  huts  of  adobe,  at  which  they 
disembarked.  There  was  a  machine  shop  here  and 
some  of  the  running  gear  of  the  ship  had  become  so 
worn  that  its  wings  and  wheels  were  inoperative. 
Quite  a  party  of  horsemen  came  down  to  meet  the 
boat  and  Helen  was  carried  in  a  car,  which  four  peons 
bore  on  their  shoulders  by  means  of  poles,  to  a  hotel. 
Helen  understood  that  the  people  spoke  Spanish  and 
she  suspected  that  they  were  in  South  America.  But 
she  was  not  able  to  talk  with  anyone,  only  the  women, 
she  observed,  were  ready  to  fall  at  her  feet,  while  the 
men  stood  apart  and  eyed  her  with  curiosity. 

The  heat  was  constant  night  and  day  and  enervat- 
ing. She  had  become  affected  by  it  so  that  she  felt 
quite  indifferent  to  her  surroundings  and  wanted  to 
sleep.  Indeed,  she  spent  most  of  her  time  in  partly 
conscious  slumber.  The  polite  Latin,  smiling  and  bow- 
ing, assured  her,  calling  her  Senorita,  that  she  would 
soon  be  acclimated. 


114  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

She  was  extremely  tired  and  almost  sick  before 
she  arrived  at  the  place  where,  unknown  to  her,  Alden 
found  her  with  the  mirage  reflector.  She  had  been 
allowed  some  liberty  since  they  began  to  climb  the 
great  mountain  trail  and  could  put  aside  the  curtains 
and  look  around.  This  she  did  frequently,  but  the 
sleepy  condition,  the  sultry  heat  and  the  lack  of  know- 
ledge as  to  where  she  was,  destroyed  her  curiosity. 

It  was  dark  when  they  came  into  the  narrow 
streets  of  Medellin. 

Again  she  put  aside  the  curtains  and  saw  crowds 
of  people  in  the  doorways  and  on  the  balconies.  The 
occasion  seemed  of  great  moment  to  them.  She  closed 
the  curtain  again  and  wished  that  she  might  enjoy  a 
breath  of  cool  air. 

The  escort  of  horsemen  moved  through  several 
streets  and  at  last  stopped.  Helen  opened  the  curtains 
of  her  car  and  found  that  they  were  now  in  front  of 
a  large  building  which,  facing  on  the  narrow  street, 
without  windows,  had  the  appearance  of  being  a  wall, 
yellow  and  forbidding.  A  gateway  opened  and  the 
horsemen  and  peons  carrying  her  car  passed  into  a  large 
inner  court  which,  while  it  had  a  well  paved  street  ex- 
tending through  was,  for  the  most  part,  a  most  luxuri- 
ant and  beautiful  flower  garden.  She  realized  that 
she  was  in  a  palace  of  Spanish  architecture,  and  for 
the  first  time  since  her  captivity,  felt  interested.  Her 
Latin  attendant  came  to  her,  as  had  been  his  custom 
at  every  stopping  place,  and  politely  and  respectfully 
assisted  her  to  alight,  saying  that  her  destination  had 
now  been  reached.  The  car  having  been  removed  the 
horsemen  went  forward  and  were  soon  lost  to  sight. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  115 

A  gracious  and  stately  lady  wearing  a  rich  mantella 
came  forward  and  greeted  Helen  in  Spanish,  but, 
although  Helen  had  some  acquaintance  with  the  lan- 
guage, she  scarcely  recognized  it  as  spoken  in  this 
country.  The  Latin  attendant  addressed  the  lady  as 
Senora  and  informed  Helen  that  she  would  show  her 
every  attention. 

The  Senora  conducted  her  charge  to  a  large  room 
on  the  second  floor  which  was  well  lighted  and  which 
was  quite  luxurious  and  gave  her  to  understand  that 
it  was  to  be  hers.  The  atmosphere  here  was  very  warm 
but  far  more  refreshing  than  she  had  experienced  for 
some  days. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
GENERAL  JAMIESON. 

For  the  first  time  Helen  felt  some  of  the  pleasures 
of  freedom.  Still  her  perplexity  was  distressing.  She 
had  no  idea  why  she  was  brought  into  this  unknown 
and  isolated  country.  She  could  not  understand  why 
she  should  be  restrained,  or  what  her  doom  might  be. 
Still,  she  was  fully  convinced  that  she  was  in  no  per- 
sonal danger,  but  that  some  mistake  had  been  made, 
and  that  her  captors  must  assuredly  have  intended  to 
gain  possession  of  some  other  person. 

She  slept  soundly  that  night.  Early  in  the  morn- 
ing a  female  attendant,  whose  dusky  skin  and  large 
brown,  sad  eyes  disclosed  her  Indian  character,  brought 
black  coffee.  Bitter  as  it  was,  Helen  had  begun  to 
relish  it  as  one  of  the  beverages  of  the  country.  The 
girl  was  able  to  understand  a  little  English  and  Helen 
availed  herself  of  the  opportunity  to  ask  a  few  ques- 
tions. 

The  girl's  name  was  Inez.  Her  mistress  was 
Senora  Jamieson,  wife  of  General  Jamieson.  Her 
master  was  a  very  great  man  and  very  brave.  All 
the  people  of  Antiochia  would  be  willing  to  die  for 
him,  and  he  was  free  to  do  whatever  he  chose,  although 
he  held  no  office.  He  was  a  very  rich  man,  too,  but 
hated  North  America  and  Morgan  Rockefeller.     Inez 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  117 

informed  Helen  that  she,  Inez,  was  sent  to  serve  her 
as  an  attendant.  She  also  said  that  they  were  allowed 
to  go  where  Helen  desired  if  they  did  not  leave  the  city. 

At  eleven  o'clock  a  light  breakfast  was  served  in 
the  room,  after  which  Helen,  accompanied  by  Inez, 
went  out  into  the  court,  which  was  a  perfect  revelation 
of  floral  beauty  and  artistic  arrangement.  Helen  was 
gradually  becoming  inured  to  captivity.  She  had  been 
supplied  with  the  clothing  of  the  country,  for  when  she 
persistently  declined  to  ask  for  anything,  abundance 
was  showered  upon  her.  She  wanted  for  none  of  the 
material  necessities  of  life,  but  partook  of  them  spar- 
ingly, with  the  vague  idea  that  she  must  not  place 
herself  under  obligations  to  people  who  had  thus  vio- 
lently transported  her  to  a  foreign  land. 

Toward  evening  a  note  was  brought  by  Inez, 
couched  in  English,  saying  that  General  and  Mrs. 
Jamieson  would  call  on  her  that  evening  at  eight 
o'clock. 

When  the  hour  arrived,  the  General  and  Mrs. 
Jamieson,  the  latter  being  the  stately  Spanish  lady 
whom  she  had  seen  the  preceding  evening,  came  as 
promised.  The  General  was  far  from  looking  like 
what  Helen  had  pictured  an  outlaw  to  be.  He  was 
tall,  erect,  and  well  proportioned.  He  had  the  manner 
and  appearance  of  a  polished  gentleman.  His  white 
hair  and  long,  flowing  white  beard  added  to  his  natural 
dignity,  and  a  kindly  smile  played  on  his  lips  and 
twinkled  in  his  gray  eyes. 

"Miss  Channing,"  he  said  as  he  entered  the  room 
with  his  wife,  the  latter  assuming  to  introduce  them, 
"I  hope  you  will  be  able  to  find  diversion  and  comfort 


118  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

in  these  rooms  and  in  our  beautiful  city  of  Medellin." 

Helen  had  barely  risen  from  her  chair  and  received 
them  indifferently.  She  did  not  even  invite  them  to 
be  seated. 

"I  believe  you  are  General  Jamieson,"  she  said. 
"I  have  heard  of  you." 

"And  you  have  heard  nothing  good,  I  know," 
returned  the  general,  smiling. 

"Nothing!"  assented  Helen  shortly. 

"Well,  Miss  Channing,"  began  the  General,  offer- 
ing his  wife  a  seat,  and  taking  one  himself  while  he 
beckoned  to  Helen  to  do  likewise,  "let  us  get  better 
acquainted.  You  are  here  under  circumstances  which 
will  not  incline  you  to  feel  kindly  toward  us.  Per- 
haps, after  awhile  you  will  feel  differently.  That  you 
may  be  at  ease,  I  think  it  proper  to  let  you  know  now 
that  I  am  well  acquainted  with  your  history  and  know 
that  you  have  been  kept  in  ignorance  of  your  true 
position.  You  suppose  yourself  to  be  a  comparatively 
humble  person.  You  are  not.  I  believe  I  am  the 
first,  am  I  not,  to  say  that  you  are  the  sole  heir  of 
Morgan  Rockefeller,  President  of  Standard,  and  the 
owner  of  all  North  America?" 

Helen  stared  at  the  speaker  in  amazement.  She 
did  not  deign  to  speak.  The  statement  struck  her  as 
doubly  absurd,  particularly  as  she  reflected  that  she 
was  pledged  to  fight  the  magnate  through  the  Reapers 
of  the  World.  General  Jamieson  noted  the  attitude 
of  the  young  lady  and  seemed  rather  to  relish  it, 
while  his  eyes  surveyed  her  as  an  artist  who  appreci- 
ates a  fine  picture  and  admires  a  beautiful  woman. 
The  stately  woman  by  his  side,  whose  beauty  was  still 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  119 

striking,  although  she  did  not  understand  fully  what 
was  being  said,  was  conscious  of  its  purpose  and  the 
effect  it  had. 

The  General  continued: 

"Years  ago  I  was  in  possession  of  an  independent 
business  and  fortune  in  the  City  of  New  York,  and 
Morgan  Rockefeller's  father,  Aldrich  Rockefeller,  ruth- 
lessly crushed  my  business,  and  in  so  doing  reduced 
me  to  poverty.  I  thought  it  was  an  effrontery  for 
him  to  offer  me  a  place  as  director  in  the  enterprise 
which  I  had  been  compelled  to  surrender,  and  I  swore 
eternal  enmity  to  him  and  his.  My  bitterness  was 
increased  by  the  fact  that  the  misfortune  did  not 
affect  me  alone  but  broke  the  heart  of  my  widowed 
mother.  I  refused  his  insulting  offer  of  position  and 
made  haste  to  abjure  the  country.  I  had  not  a  dollar 
in  it,  not  a  place  in  it,  not  an  opportunity  in  it,  and 
not  a  hope  in  it.  I  therefore  fled  to  Colombia.  You 
have  heard,  no  doubt,  that  I  did  not  hesitate  to  appro- 
priate forcibly  all  I  needed  to  subsist  on  and  to  aid 
me  in  my  flight  hither.  I  gathered  around  me  many 
bold  spirits,  who  elected  me  their  leader.  In  Colombia 
I  and  my  American  associates  have  been  strictly  up- 
right according  to  the  old  school.  But  whenever  I 
can,  I  have  laid  tribute  on  your  uncle  and  have  now 
caused  his  only  heir  to  be  brought  to  me  that  I  may 
do  for  Antiochia,  my  chosen  state,  what  nations  feel 
proud  of  doing  for  themselves  at  another's  expense — 
demand  tribute  and  enrich  her.  Morgan  Rockefeller 
shall  pay  a  large  ransom  for  you,  or  if  he  fails,  it  is 
very  likely,  in  case  of  his  death,  you  will  be  glad  to 
favor  Antiochia  with  a  donation." 


120  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

The  General  spoke  earnestly,  but  without  gesticu- 
lating, as  is  the  habit  of  the  South.  Only  the  smile 
faded  from  his  lips  and  the  twinkle  died  out  of  his  eye. 
But  he  spoke  in  a  low,  mild  and  almost  gentle  tone, 
which  did  not  give  offense.  However,  it  was  plain 
enough  that  he  spoke  like  one  whose  passion  con- 
sumed him. 

"Your  uncle,"  he  resumed  again,  "has  reduced  all 
North  America  to  slavery,  but  I  think  the  Coloradans 
will  rouse  the  whole  nation  against  him  and,  perhaps, 
restore  the  Democratic  rule.  If  I  were  younger,  I 
would  enlist  in  the  service  of  their  General  Master- 
son.     But  at  seventy- two  a  man  must  remain  at  home. ' ' 

He  paused  again.  Helen  still  sat  looking  at  him 
without  speaking. 

There  was  a  rap  at  the  door.  Inez  answered  the 
tap,  and  as  the  general  finished  his  expression  of  appro- 
val of  the  Colorado  war,  she  brought  him  a  letter  which 
she  placed  in  the  General's  hands. 

"Pardon,  Miss  Channing,"  he  said,  "it  is  a  matter 
of  pressing  importance.  I  will  read  the  missive  with 
your  permission." 

He  did  not  wait  for  her  permission,  however,  but 
tore  the  envelope  open  and  hurriedly  scanned  the  con- 
tents of  the  note.  Then,  without  changing  his  manner, 
he  passed  the  note,  evidently  a  wireless  telegram,  to  his 
wife.  When  she  had  finished  she  looked  up  at  him  in 
speechless  astonishment. 

"This  is  very  important  information,  Miss  Chan- 
ning," remarked  the  General  turning  again  to  Helen. 
"I  would  hesitate  to  announce  it  to  you  if  I  was  not 
aware  that,  except  for  its  relation  to  your  personal  for- 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  121 

tune,  the  welfare  of  Mr.  Rockefeller  does  not  concern 
you.  I  will  say  to  you,  therefore,  that  this  note  apprises 
me  of  the  death  of  Morgan  Rockefeller  and  your  ac- 
cession by  law  to  his  vast  estate." 

If  Helen  had  been  without  words  before  because 
of  indifference  or  sentiment,  she  was  now  without  them 
because  of  her  surprise.     She  managed  to  say: 

"Mr.  Rockefeller  dead!"  Then  suddenly  recover- 
ing herself,  she  turned  to  General  Jamieson  and  spoke 
in  the  low,  rich  tones  of  her  musical  voice. 

"I  am  not  expected,  surely,  to  credit  anything 
which  may  be  said  to  me  by  those  who  have  criminally 
disregarded  my  rights.  I  have  never  heard  that  I  was 
Morgan  Rockefeller's  neice  and  so  I  do  not  believe  it. 
Neither  do  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  he  is  dead,  but, 
even  if  he  is,  it  can  not  concern  me.  No  doubt  his 
wealth  will  pass  to  another  autocrat.  You  are  mis- 
taken, General  Jamieson,  you  are  entirely  mistaken. 
You  can  never  gain  profits  for  your  country  from  me, 
for  I  have  very  little  and,  even  if  you  are  correctly  in- 
formed that  Rockefeller  is  dead,  that  very  little  may  go 
too.  You,  sir,  spurned  your  country  in  its  need,  and 
declared  vengeance  because  you  suffered.  I,  on  the 
contrary,  love  my  country  and,  while  I  recognize  its 
need  as  fully  as  you  claim  to,  I  shall  not  hope  that  you 
can  bleed  it  or  Masterson  can  make  war  upon  it,  but 
rather  that  the  spirit  of  Jesus  may  enter  into  its  system 
and  purify  and  redeem  it.  Sir,  I  hope  we  may  some 
day  help  to  infuse  into  the  American  system  the  spirit 
of  brotherly  love  which  is  the  only  remedy  for  all  our 
economic  ills." 

The  General  listened  to  this  address  with  evident 


122  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

interest.  But  when  it  was  finished,  he  assured  Helen 
that  all  he  had  said  to  her  was  true,  and  that  he  had 
made  no  mistakes.  As  the  news  was  very  important 
and  made  it  incumbent  on  him  to  change  some  of  his 
plans,  it  would  be  necessary  for  him  to  close  the  inter- 
view. He  hoped,  however,  to  renew  it  on  the  morrow, 
and  he  believed  it  might  even  be  possible  that  he  could 
be  of  service  to  her,  whose  position  he  regarded  as 
that  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  powerful  person  in  the 
world,  on  her  return  to  the  States. 

He  therefore  withdrew  with  his  wife,  leaving 
Helen  to  her  own  excited  thoughts,  and  to  a  sleepless 
night. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 
TWO   EXTREMES. 

Philip  Jamieson  was  in  many  respects  a  great  man. 
While  he  held  no  political  office  in  Colombia,  he  was 
possessed  of  greater  personal  power  than  any  man  in 
that  republic.  His  influence  was  always  cast  on  the  side 
of  law  and  order  within  the  nation,  and  he  had,  on  sev- 
eral occasions,  organized  the  army  of  the  government 
against  revolutionary  assaults.  In  fact,  it  was  fear 
of  his  power  and  genius  which  deterred  many  ambi- 
tious spirits  from  unworthy  outbreaks.  But  Colom- 
bia, in  1990,  was  a  transformation,  so  far  as  the  politi- 
cal system  was  concerned,  from  Colombia  of  1900. 
From  a  centralized  republic  it  had  become  a  federal 
republic.  That  is,  the  states  retained  independence 
except  so  far  as  they  delegated  certain  powers  to  the 
government  at  Bogata.  In  1990  the  states  had  no 
powers  except  as  they  were  conferred  by  the  central 
government. 

General  Jamieson  had  derived  great  wealth  from 
operating  certain  mines  in  the  interior.  Now,  however, 
a  very  large  part  of  his  wealth  had  been  depreciated  by 
Morgan  Rockefeller's  order  prohibiting  the  acceptance 
of  gold  as  money.  The  General's  stock  of  gold  was 
still  large,  and  at  three  dollars  an  ounce,  he  was  rich. 
He  was  inclined  to  make  common  cause  with  Colorado, 


124  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

but  reflected  that  his  age  prevented  his  leading  his  con- 
tingent, which  consisted  largely  of  bright  and  daring 
men  whom  he  had  helped  to  Colombia  after  they  had 
been  stricken  from  Standard's  pay  rolls.  He  had 
therefore  determined  on  carrying  into  execution  a 
strategic  move  by  which  he  hoped  to  compel  the  great 
Rockefeller  to  change  his  gold  order.  This  move  was 
none  other  than  to  get  possession  of  Rockefeller's  heir, 
whose  life  history  was  well  known  to  his  paid  emissar- 
ies in  the  States,  and  to  surrender  her  only  on  terms. 

But  with  all  his  scheming  General  Jamieson  was  a 
kind  hearted  man  who  would  sacrifice  his  life  for  others, 
if  need  be.  But  he  had  a  large  mind  and  a  large  heart, 
and  his  sacrifices  were  never  planned  or  proposed  ex- 
cept for  a  large  purpose.  Although  an  individualist, 
and  opposed  to  such  a  centralized  and  autocratic  form 
of  socialistic  solidarity  as  that  which  the  Standard  had 
fastened  on  North  America,  yet,  if  justice,  equality  and 
happiness  could  be  obtained  for  all,  he  would  gladly  re- 
sign any  form  of  physical  or  material  advantage  which 
he  possessed,  and  take  his  place  as  one  of  the  masses. 

He  felt  a  genuine  interest  in  Miss  Helen  Channing 
after  his  first  meeting.  He  resolved  that  she  should 
know  him  as  he  was  and,  if  possible,-  that  she  should 
repose  trust  in  him.  It  therefore  occurred  that  he  and 
his  excellent  wife  were  frequent  callers  at  Helen's  apart- 
ments and,  in  time,  Helen,  whose  knowledge  of  Span- 
ish was  greatly  increased  by  indefatigable  application, 
called  at  the  portion  of  the  Jamieson  palace  which  Mrs. 
Jamieson  treated  as  her  separate  suite.  In  fact,  in  less 
than  a  week  Helen  felt  somewhat  at  home  and  would 
not  have  deemed  herself  a  prisoner  if  it  had  not  been 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  125 

for  the  prohibition  which  prevented  her  sending  mail 
beyond  the  gates  of  the  palace  and  the  absence  of  her 
friends  at  home.  Mrs.  Jamieson  was  really  a  most 
admirable  companion  and  knew  the  history  of  her 
country  as  few  others  did. 

The  disposition  of  Helen  made  it  possible  for  her 
to  forget  her  personal  wrongs  whenever  she  had  an 
interested  and  intelligent  audience  which  was  willing 
to  listen  to  her  as  she  discussed  her  favorite  theme. 
General  Jamieson  soon  discovered  this  and  engaged 
her  in  conversation  on  the  subject,  not  only  because  he 
wished  to  interest  her,  but  because  her  views  really  ap- 
pealed to  him. 

"Miss  Channing,"  he  said  one  evening,  "the  will 
of  Rockefeller  will  be  read  in  St.  Louis  in  a  few  days 
now,  and  I  shall  hope  that,  when  you  become  mistress 
of  the  continental  estate  of  your  deceased  uncle,  you 
will  not  forget  altogether  your  beautiful  theories  on 
Fraternalism." 

"You  have  not  convinced  me,  General  Jamieson," 
declared  Helen,  a  look  of  annoyance  returning  to  her 
face,  "that  I  am  concerned  in  that  will.  But  even  if 
what  you  insist  were  true,  I  would  never  surrender  my 
conviction  that  the  remedy  for  human  ills  was  prescribed 
by  the  Christ  who  lived  two  thousand  years  ago.  You 
tell  me  that  Colombia  is  now  developed  to  what  the 
states  were,  politically,  ninety  years  ago.  Your  people 
refuse  to  let  the  Rockefeller  system  gain  a  foothold. 
Yet  your  system  is  crude  and  your  inhabitants  make 
little  progress.  You  have  insisted  on  individualism 
and  you  accomplish  little.  You  have  no  railroads,  no 
great  factories,  no  scheme  of  distribution.     The  backs 


126  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

of  mules  and  men  and  the  heads  of  women  constitute 
your  freight  cars.  Rockefeller's  system  would  make 
your  lives  better,  give  you  better  roads,  better  schools, 
better  communication,  better  distribution  and  a  higher 
civilization.  Co-operation  alone  will  rescue  Colombia 
from  its  wild  state." 

"There  is  freedom  in  this  wilderness,"  interrupted 
the  General.  'There  is  nothing  but  slavery  in  North 
America  under  Rockefeller." 

"But  your  wilderness  and  your  freedom  produce  a 
few  intellects  which  are  worthy  and  a  host  of  miserable, 
ignorant  and  impoverished  individuals,  half  savage  and 
half  man,  who  live  by  turns  in  slavery  and  revolution. 
The  only  co-operation  you  have  in  this  country  is  the 
army.  In  the  States  there  is  nothing  but  co-operation. 
The  System  produces  the  very  best  results  and  the  very 
greatest  intellects.  But  its  defect  is  the  same  as  yours, 
it  lacks  fraternity." 

"What  would  you  do  to  rescue  Colombia?"  asked 
the  General.  "How  would  you  develop  your  fraternal 
ideas  here?" 

"I  sometimes  think,"  answered  Helen  thoughtfully, 
"that  it  would  be  easier  to  introduce  them  here  than  in 
the  States.  Here  the  army  alone  would  be  an  obstacle. 
In  North  America  the  autocratic  system  works  so  satis- 
factorily to  the  masses  who  are  a  part  of  it,  that  it  has 
become  second  nature  to  them.  You  have  a  popula- 
tion, you  tell  me,  of  ten  millions.  You  have  a  total 
vote  of  one  and  one-half  millions.  Now  you  say  that 
these  are  not  intelligent  enough  to  understand  a  fra- 
ternal system.  But  ten  per  cent  of  them  surely  are. 
If  you  should  organize  your  one  hundred  and  fifty 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  127 

thousand  men  and  an  equal  number  of  women  into  a 
fraternal  order,  each  to  pay  two  dollars  a  month  into  a 
trust  fund,  that  would  be  six  hundred  thousand  dollars 
a  month  or  seven  million  dollars  a  year.  Adopt  the 
well  tried  system  of  business  incorporation  which  has 
developed  North  America,  let  your  fraternal  order  own 
only  the  majority  of  the  stock  in  them,  and  in  a  short 
time  your  ignorant  operators  will  discover  that  the  pro- 
fits, rent  and  interest  which  they  produce  are  being,  to 
borrow  the  phrase  of  an  early  twentieth  century  writer, 
'syphoned'  in  to  the  fraternal  treasury.  The  great  merit 
of  your  order  will  be  'the  open  door.'  You  allow  any 
person  to  become  a  member  whose  moral  character  is 
good.  You  will  not  permit  large  local  lodges,  but 
limit  the  number  of  members  of  each  lodge  to  five  hun- 
dred, so  that  discussion  and  free  speech  will  be  general. 
This  will  be  effective  as  an  educator." 

These  conversations  between  the  General  and 
Helen  brought  a  new  light  into  the  old  General's  life. 
He  was  not  prepared  to  admit  that  it  was  practical,  but 
declared  on  one  occasion  that  it  was  better  to  live  in 
such  dreams  than  to  indulge  in  "night  mares,"  because 
the  latter  were  practical,  that  is,  possible. 

The  news  reached  Medellin  by  wireless  that  the 
will  of  Rockefeller  had  been  read  and  that  the  entire 
estate  had  been  devised  to  the  government  in  trust  for 
the  people.  General  Jamieson  was  surprised.  His 
plans  did  not  contemplate  such  an  event.  He  now 
found  that,  instead  of  having  a  great  heiress  in  his 
possession,  he  merely  had  a  very  beautiful  and  intelli- 
gent young  lady.  He  went  with  his  senora  that  even- 
ing to  call  on  Helen. 


128  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

"I  have  rather  bad  news,"  he  said. 

"What  may  it  be?"  asked  Helen  thinking  it  con- 
cerned only  himself. 

"That  your  uncle's  will  has  been  read  and  that 
you  are  not  his  heir." 

"Did  I  not  tell  you  so?" 

"Yes,  but  you  can  hardly  guess  to  whom  the  es- 
tate goes?" 

"It  does  not  matter  much.  Did  you  not  tell  me 
that  President  Adams  had  rescinded  the  order  which 
troubled  Colorado,  the  order  demonetizing  gold?" 

"Yes.    And  Colorado  has  returned  to  its  master." 

"Well.  No  matter  who  the  heir  is,  the  fraternal 
order,  the  'Reapers  of  the  World'  will  acquire  the  en- 
tire estate  if  gold  continues  to  be  money.  That  is 
Standard's  weakness.  Let  her  have  a  money  of  her 
own  creation,  and  her  power  will  last  for  centuries." 

"But  the  will  has  given  everything  to  the  govern- 
ment in  trust  for  the  people.  There  you  have  demo- 
cratic Socialism.  There  you  have  public  ownership. 
Morgan  Rockefeller  has  solved  your  economic  problem." 

Helen  was  astonished  by  this  information. 

"To  the  government!"  she  exclaimed.  Then  after 
a  pause,  during  which  she  gazed  at  the  General  in 
amazement,  she  said:  "Even  so.  Rockefeller  who  is 
greater  than  Caesar  renders  up  all  to  Caesar.  Do  you 
not  see?  Rockefeller,  the  greatest  exampler  of  com- 
mercialism, has  rendered  up  to  Caesar,  the  govern- 
ment, the  greatest  of  politicians,  the  things  which  the 
politician  is  no  more  capable  of  handling  than  a  disor- 
ganized mob." 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  129 

The  General  laughed  outright,  both  at  the  plain 
language  and  the  earnestness  of  the  young  lady. 

"Do  you  feel  that  you  could  have  handled  it  better 
than  the  Government?"  he  asked  with  a  tinge  of  irony 
in  his  voice,  but  with  paternal  kindness. 

"No!  No!  General!"  she  hastened  to  say.  "You 
cannot  after  all,  be  expected  to  understand.  Standard 
is  a  business  merger.  It  is  cooperation's  autocratic 
form  of  government  for  the  industrial  system.  It  is 
better  than  any  political  government  can  be  for  the 
business  system  and  is  an  evolution  from  it.  Your  po- 
litical government  is  nothing  but  an  evolution  of  feudal- 
ism. It  has  always  the  weakness  of  vanity.  Its 
power  is  as  insignificant  in  comparison  with  the  power 
of  organized  corporate  government  in  the  economic 
system  of  commerce  as  the  power  of  picturesque  barons 
and  nobles.  I  saw  an  old  paper  in  the  museum  the 
other  day  in  Boston  which  told  how  King  Edward  and 
Emperor  William  met  and  kissed  each  other.  That 
was  vain  show.  It  was  hypocrisy.  It  certainly  wasn't 
business  and  Judas  was  outdone.  Imagine  Rocke- 
feller and  Morgan  meeting  and  kissing  each  other  for 
business  purposes.  Commercial  government,  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  business  system,  doesn't  require  that. 
The  old  vanity  has  passed  away  in  the  States.  Stan- 
dard is  the  ideal  government,  only,  instead  of  being  a 
'syphon'  to  direct  the  wealth  into  a  few  private  pockets, 
it  should  be  fraternalized  so  as  to  direct  into  the  treas- 
ury of  the  fraternal  all  of  that  surplus  wealth  which  in- 
cludes interest,  rent  and  profits." 

General  Jamieson  was  too  good  a  man,  although 
his  methods  were  in  some  instances  predatory,  to  un- 


130  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

dervalue  the  personal  purity  and  intelligence  of  his 
captive  guest.  He  was  too  wise  a  man  not  to  make 
further  complete  inquiries  and  investigation  into  the 
situation  of  Helen's  affairs  in  the  States  before  reach- 
ing a  final  decision.  He  was  too  kind  a  man  not  to 
feel  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of  one  with  whom 
he  and  Mrs.  Jamieson  had  spent  considerable  time, 
and  he  resolved,  even  if  the  news  of  her  disinheritance 
should  prove  true,  to  see  that  she  would  not  come  to 
want.  But  he  did  not  disclose  his  thoughts  and  in- 
tentions to  Helen. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
THE  REVOLUTION. 

The  atmosphere  of  Colombia  was  ever  surcharged 
with  revolution.  Masses  of  citizens  in  the  midst  of 
ill  regulated  and  poorly  distributed  abundance  were 
always  ready  to  follow  any  leader  who  would  voice  a 
proclamation  and  provide  "plantains." 

Individualism  was  pronounced  and  competition 
was  keen. 

So  pronounced  and  acute  were  they,  that  parti- 
cipants in  the  economic  war,  more  properly  called  eco- 
nomic brigandage,  wasted  time,  vitality  and  substance 
in  non-essentials  and  a  vainglorious  effort  to  gain  no- 
toriety. 

It  was  grand. 

It  made  and  strengthened  ^character. 

But  what  character! 

It  was  artistic. 

What  other  mission  can  art  have  than  to  produce 
perfection. 

Here  were  perfect  beggars. 

Here  were  perfect  thieves. 

Here  were  perfect  drones. 

Here  were  perfect  rascals. 

Here  were  perfect  robbers. 

Here  were  perfect  saints. 


132  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

What  a  system. 

Only  competition  could  stir  up  every  mean  ele- 
ment in  a  man's  nature  so  as  to  create  these  delight- 
fully strong  types. 

Since  Helen  had  become  a  captive  in  Colombia, 
some  ten  weeks,  a  change  had  occurred  throughout  the 
republic. 

Revolution,  which  had  been  asleep  and  dreaming 
was  now  awake,  and  prepared  to  fight. 

Yesterday's  idols  were  today  in  contempt. 

Beggars  without  hope  were  ready  to  take  a  chance 
in  the  game  of  change. 

Why? 

Neither  they  nor  anybody  knew. 

The  times  were  out  of  joint. 

How? 

Neither  they  nor  anybody  knew. 

The  system  was  wrong. 

In  what  respect? 

Neither  they  nor  anybody  knew. 

What  could  be  gained  by  the  change? 

Neither  they  nor  anybody  knew. 

But  the  condition  of  most  men  could  not  be  worse. 
It  might  accidently  improve  in  the  case  of  one,  even 
if  the  rest  went  to  destruction. 

Each  was  ready  for  revolution  on  the  theory  that 
the  one  chance  of  prosperity  might  come  to  him. 

So  revolution  blazed  up  suddenly  and  frightfully. 

Every  beggar  who  could  get  red  tape  for  stripes 
on  his  overalls  was  ready  to  inlist.  Plantain  was 
cheap  and  abundant  and  money  was  necessary  only 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  183 

to  gamble  with.  But  in  Colombia,  not  to  gamble  is 
not  to  live. 

Who  lead  this  sudden  revolution? 

A  new  man  had  appeared  on  the  scene. 

Did  anybody  know  who  General  Romero  was? 

He  had  been  a  ranchero.  He  had  turned  adven- 
turer. The  adventurer  had  become  a  soldier  and  the 
soldier  had  developed  into  a  revolutionist  and  a  gen- 
eral. Did  anybody  have  proof  of  these  facts?  What 
matter?  He  had  plenty  of  money  and  spent  it  freely. 
Old  General  Jamieson  was  too  superannuated  to  cut 
any  figure  now.  Someone  else  should  have  a  chance. 
Why  not  Romero  who  had  money  to  spend? 

Death  was  better  than  beggary. 

Off  with  the  old  revolution;  on  with  the  new. 

The  multitude  in  front  of  the  cathedral  and  el 
Banco  de  Popular  crowded  into  the  pretty  little  plaza. 

Incendiary  speeches  were  punctuated  by  wild 
roars  of  approval. 

Suddenly  the  sound  of  fire  arms  was  heard  in  the 
distance. 

The  crowd  vanished. 

No  one  knew  where  it  had  gone  for  everybody 
was  intent  on  saving  himself.  Even  the  speakers  had 
disappeared  and  the  silence  of  death  prevailed,  except 
for  the  rattle  of  musketry  in  the  neighboring  streets. 

What  was  happening? 

A  company  of  revolutionists  was  approaching 
Medellin  from  Hiradota,  east  of  the  city.  This  was 
unusual.  Engagements  of  this  character  in  the  city 
scarcely  ever  rose  above  the  dignity  of  a  riot. 


134  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

The  governor  of  Antiochia  had  sent  a  small  de- 
tachment of  soldiers  from  the  barracks  out  to  intercept 
the  invaders. 

This  detachment  had  been  driven  back  into  the 
city.  Thereupon  the  whole  of  the  Colombian  army 
stationed  in  the  city  was  ordered  out. 

But  the  soldiers  of  two  regiments  mutinied  and 
refused  to  obey  orders.  The  army  had  been  revolu- 
tionized, too,  and  as  the  invaders  approached,  instead 
of  encountering  opposition,  they  received  reinforce- 
ments. 

The  revolutionists  were  victorious. 

Dollars,  not  bullets,  carried  all  before  them. 

The  leaders  were  pushing  toward  General  Jamie- 
son's  house. 

Dollars  had  paved  the  way  for  Colombia's  soldiers 
to  march  to  the  palace  of  their  former  chief. 

It  was  wonderful  how  practical,  or  to  be  more 
specific,  and  speaking  politically,  how  corrupt  these 
patriots  had  become. 

Dollars  filled  the  air  with  gunpowder  smoke  and 
sent  bullets  and  cannon  balls  against  General  Jamie- 
son's  palace  gate. 

Dollars  battered  down  the  barriers  which  the  in- 
dividuals had  raised,  and  when  Colombian  soldiers, 
full  of  dollar  inspiration,  and  the  prospect  of  dollar 
ease,  rushed  through  the  battered  gates  into  the  court 
yard,  even  the  courage  and  splendid  skill  of  the  old 
warrior  and  Democrat  proved  unavailing.  There  was 
treachery  in  the  court,  and  this  revolution  which  had 
been  shrewdly  and  quietly  planned  and  thus  vigorously 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  135 

carried  out,  was  the  most  effective  and  complete  Colom- 
bia ever  experienced. 

Let  us  speak  truly.  It  was  the  dollar  behind  the 
man  which  won  the  day. 

General  Jamieson  was  taken  prisoner,  and  several 
of  his  most  faithful  retainers  died  defending  him. 

But  what  of  Helen? 

During  the  affray  she  had  remained  in  her  own 
apartments.  The  shutters  of  the  windows  which 
looked  into  the  court  were  closed,  but  when  the  con- 
flict was  at  its  worst  and  noise  of  rifles  and  shouts  of  the 
victorious  invaders  was  loudest,  she  opened  the  shutters 
slightly  and  looked  out.  She  saw  General  Jamieson 
deprived  of  his  arms  and  overpowered. 

Her  first  impulse  was  to  rush  to  the  aid  of  this  man 
who,  in  spite  of  the  resentment  which  she  still  harbored, 
she  felt  had  many  traits  of  nobility.  As  she  stood  in 
the  darkened  room,  listening  intently,  and  not  daring  to 
look  out  again,  she  heard  steps  approaching  along  the 
stone  paved  corridor  which  led  to  her  room.  She  re- 
called the  fact  that  she  had  left  the  door  unlocked  and 
started  forward  to  turn  the  key,  but  before  she  could 
do  so  the  door  flew  open  and  the  figure  of  a  man  stood 
looking  in.  The  shutters  being  closed,  the  room  was 
dark,  but  the  person  in  the  doorway  moved  in  and 
pressed  the  button  which  turned  on  the  light.  There 
stood    Helen,  not  afraid,  but  hopeless  and  desperate. 

The  man  in  the  doorway  was  small  of  stature  and 
slender.  He  was  dressed  in  the  uniform  of  high  rank, 
but  whether  of  the  revolution  or  of  old  Colombia,  Helen 
could  not  have  told  even  if  she  had  been  able  to  think 


136  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

calmly.  Behind  him  stood  a  much  larger  man,  also  in 
uniform. 

In  a  high,  shrill  voice  and  in  good  English,  the 
little  man  addressed  her. 

*  'Madam,  I  am  General  Romero,  of  the  Liberal 
Army  of  Colombia.  You  must  surrender  yourself  for 
you  are  my  prisoner.  General  Gonzales,  I  place  this 
lady  under  your  charge  and  in  your  protection.  Madam, 
you  have  nothing  to  fear." 

The  General's  English  was  so  much  like  that  of 
a  native  of  some  English  speaking  country  that  even 
Helen,  in  the  midst  of  her  perplexity,  remarked  it. 

"A  Jamaican!"  she  thought. 

She  had  expected  nothing  good  and  had  anticipated 
everything  bad.  Now  that  she  was  face  to  face  with 
one  of  the  exigencies  of  war  her  heart  stood  still  and 
she  could  not  even  cry  out. 

Colonel  Gonzales  stepped  towards  her. 

She  had  not  noticed  him  closely  but  now  in  the 
light,  as  she  saw  him  advance  and  bow,  she  screamed 
and  fainted. 

Colonel  Gonzales  caught  her  in  his  arms  as  she 
fell  fainting. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 
PRESIDENT  ADAM'S  PERPLEXITY. 

As  President  Adams  left  the  Senate  Chamber  after 
reading  the  Rockefeller  will,  he  felt  as  if  the  world  had 
gone  all  to  pieces.  It  was  as  if  the  social  order  had 
been  annihilated  and  a  new  system  with  which  he  was 
entirely  unfamiliar,  and  the  prospect  of  which  he  had 
always  viewed  with  abhorrence,  had  been  forced  upon 
him.  Like  a  man  who  had  donned  a  hat  ten  sizes  too 
large  for  him,  he  was  groping  in  darkness  beneath  its 
crown. 

No  practical  statesman  was  ever  before  confronted 
with  so  mighty  a  problem.  He  was  not  a  dreamer, 
this  descendant  of  stern  unyielding  Puritanic  statesmen. 
He  did  not  like  dreams,  and  the  more  he  considered 
the  situation  in  which  he  found  himself,  the  more  it 
seemed  like  a  dream.  The  will  of  Rockefeller  was  not 
merely  unexpected,  but  was  very  distasteful  to  the 
President.  He  regarded  it  as  either  a  very  great  and 
unaccountable  mistake,  on  the  part  of  his  friend,  or 
the  product  of  an  insane  mind,  and  knowing  Mr.  Rocke- 
feller as  he  thought  he  did  he  was  inclined  to  the  be- 
lief that  this  strange  and  inexplicable  testament  was 
the  impulse  of  mental  aberration.  Yet  he  also  knew 
that  he,  Josiah  Quincy  Adams,  either  in  his  individual 
capacity  or  in  his  capacity  as  President  of  the  United 


138  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

States,  would  never  be  able  to  impress  his  belief  on  the 
people  of  the  United  States  or  to  have  this  will  set  aside. 

He  held  himself  accountable  for  a  great  blunder. 
He  should  have  known  the  contents  of  that  will  before 
he  consented  to  read  and  publish  it  to  the  nation.  Presi- 
dent Adams  was  an  upright  and  thoroughly  conscien- 
tious man,  but  he  did  not  trust  public  judgment  at  all, 
and  he  belonged  to  a  school  of  high  minded  statesmen 
who  were  in  the  habit  of  educating  the  people  to  cer- 
tain views  by  degrees.  Had  he  known  the  contents  of 
Rockefeller's  will,  he  would  have  delayed  the  publica- 
tion, and  in  the  meantime  would  have  caused  all  the 
public  prints  to  suggest,  very  gently  at  first,  very  em- 
phatically at  last,  the  incapacity  of  Rockefeller  to  make 
a  will.  He  would  have  caused  the  most  vigorous  arti- 
cles to  appear  in  every  issue  of  all  the  daily  papers 
against  state  or  public  socialism  and  would  have  sup- 
plemented such  arguments  with  secret  instructions  to 
every  postmaster,  every  public  official,  every  superin- 
tendent of  a  farm,  factory  or  railroad,  to  educate  the 
common  working  classes  along  the  lines  suggested  by 
the  public  prints.  Then  in  due  time  he  would  have 
caused  the  will  to  be  read  when  he  could  be  reasonably 
certain  it  would  be  received  with  disapproval. 

But  now  his  blunder  in  not  pursuing  such  a  course 
weighed  heavily  upon  him.  The  people  had  heard  the 
will  and  had  their  opportunity  to  think  before  he  and 
his  wise  associates  could  properly  educate  them  and 
mould  their  opinions.  He  could  not  now  make  them 
believe  Rockefeller  was  insane.  It  was  too  late.  He 
also  knew  that  no  court  or  jury  would  dare  to  pronounce 
him  insane  or  to  impeach  his  will  on  any  ground.  Such 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  139' 

a  court  would  never  be  able  to  survive  the  storm  of 
popular  indignation  if  it  reached  such  a  conclusion. 

The  more  he  thought  of  it  the  more  the  President 
felt  that  a  misfortune  worse  than  civil  war  had  befallen 
his  beloved  country.  He  was  not,  however,  the  man  to 
despair.  He  wanted  time  to  think.  He  was  a  believer 
in  precedents.  He  wanted  to  examine  them.  Not  that 
he  expected  to  find  a  situation  in  history  like  that  in 
which  he  was  placed,  but  he  could  determine  what 
human  nature  would  submit  to  by  observing  what  it 
had  submitted  to  in  the  past. 

When  he  arrived  at  the  Executive  Mansion,  he 
found  a  large  number  of  the  country's  most  famous 
statesmen  awaiting  his  arrival.  They,  too,  were  anx- 
ious about  the  future.  To  these  he  spoke  with  great 
confidence  and  professed  to  be  overcome  by  the  mag- 
nificence and  patriotism  of  the  deceased  magnate. 

His  confident  bearing  reassured  them,  but  it  was 
plain  enough  that  they,  too,  entertained  serious  mis- 
givings as  to  the  outcome  of  the  revolutionary  change 
about  to  occur.  The  situation  demanded  a  cabinet 
meeting  and  in  response  to  their  request,  such  a  meet- 
ing was  called  for  the  following  day.  Hon.  William 
C.  Endicott,  a  descendant  of  that  William  Crownin- 
shield  Endicott,  who  was  Secretary  of  War  in  the 
eighties  in  the  former  century,  was  President  Adam's 
Secretary  of  War. 

President  Adams  and  Secretary  Endicott  spent 
the  evening  together. 

"Endicott,"  said  the  President,  as  they  sat  to- 
gether in  the  latter's  library  in  the  Executive  Mansion, 
"is  not  this  situation  political  socialism  of  the  very 


140  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

worst  kind?  I  never  anticipated  such  an  issue,  especi- 
ally from  such  a  source.  Do  you  remember  the  social- 
ist leader,  Bristow,  who  was  a  candidate  for  President 
in  1952?  That  was  forty  years  ago.  I  understand 
that  he  is  still  alive  and  very  clear  headed  and  wise. 
How  would  it  do  for  us  to  hunt  up  the  old  man  and 
have  a  talk  with  him  tonight?" 

Endicott  was  as  much  opposed  to  state  or  politi- 
cal socialism  as  the  President,  but  under  the  circum- 
stances was  not  averse  to  an  adventure.  He  was  the 
youngest  member  of  the  cabinet  and  not  without  some 
lingering  traces  of  sentiment  in  his  make-up. 

"If  we  go  disguised,  I  am  ready,"  he  said,  with  a 
mildly  derisive  smile  on  his  lips.  "I  don't  believe  in 
Bristow  or  any  form  of  Socialism." 

It  did  not  take  long  for  the  two  distinguished 
gentlemen  to  lay  aside  any  evidence  of  distinction 
which  might  attract  attention  to  them.  If  any  one  had 
thought  it  worth  while  to  follow  the  portly,  middle-aged 
gentleman  and  the  young  man  who  accompanied  him, 
both  attired  like  well-to-do  officials  of  some  Standard 
Corporation,  through  the  crowded  streets  of  the  capi- 
tal city,  they  would  not  have  recognized  the  President 
of  the  United  States  and  his  proud  aad  aristocratic 
Secretary  of  War. 

It  was  a  wonderful'  scene  which  St.  Louis  pre- 
sented in  those  days  of  partial  radium  illumination. 
The  lighted  streets  where  little  stars  emitted  beams 
which  flooded  the  thoroughfare  with  white  light  in  a 
succession  of  shining  worlds,  were  crowded  with  a 
prosperous  and  happy  people.  Here  the  scientific 
correctness  of  economic  government,  autocratic  to  be 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  141 

sure,  but  not  oppressive  to  its  faithful  servants,  re- 
moved from  the  multitude  the  hope  of  sudden  and 
dazzling  preferment,  and  accustomed  mankind  to 
moderation  and  contentment.  Here  the  game  of 
chance  was  gone  and  in  its  place  a  light-hearted 
security  which  overflowed  with  innocent  gayety. 
Paris  was  never  gayer  with  all  its  dissipations,  but  the 
gayety  of  St.  Louis  in  1990  was  healthy,  temperate 
and  simple.  Girls  and  boys,  men  and  women,  gray- 
beards  and  ancient  matrons,  all  wore  the  smile  of 
appreciation  in  Rockefeller's  favored  capitol.  "There 
is  no  government  like  an  absolute  monarchy  (eco- 
nomic despotism)  if  the  king  be  a  good  and  wise  man." 
Such  had  come  to  be  the  universal  belief.  But  St. 
Louis  tonight  was  subdued  and  unusually  quiet,  even 
in  the  shining  streets.  Gayety  was  there,  but  more 
quietly  manifested.  It  was  not  fear  which  produced 
this  change.  The  people  could  not  be  said  to  be 
thinking.  They  were  in  a  maze  of  wonderment.  "What 
next?"  was  the  universal  thought — the  universal 
question. 

Through  the  light,  out  of  the  light,  into  the  dark 
side  avenue,  up  a  stairway  in  the  old  building  where 
the  radium  lights  did  not  shine — the  two  men  of  power 
went  and  after  some  groping  about,  finally  ventured  to 
rap  on  a  door  dimly  seen  in  the  meagre  light  of  an  oil 
lamp. 

The  door  opened.  An  old  man,  poorly  clad, 
white  head  and  beard,  bent  form,  appeared. 

"Mr.  Bristow,  I  am  W.  C.  Endicott,  Secretary  of 
War.  This,"  the  Secretary  pointed  to  the  portly 
President  Adams,  "is  my  friend,  John  A.  Andrew  of 


142  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

Massachusetts.    We  would  be  glad  to  have  a  talk 
with  you,  if  you  are  at  leisure." 

"Come  in,  come  in,  gentlemen,"  said  the  old  man, 
turning  to  place  chairs  for  his  visitors.  "Always  glad 
to  see  and  talk  with  the  people." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  LIFE  THAT  FADED. 

John  R.  Bristow  was  over  ninety  years  old.  Born 
with  the  twentieth  century,  he  was  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable of  its  children.  For  ten  years  prior  to  1952 
he  was  the  guiding  star  of  the  socialist  party  and  the 
most  forceful  and  beloved  of  all  its  orators.  In  1952 
he  was  his  party's  nominee  for  president  and  was  de- 
feated by  a  narrow  margin.  His  adherents  alleged 
that  he  was  cheated  out  of  the  election  by  the  corrupt 
practices  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company.  Some  urged 
a  resort  to  arms  as  a  method  of  inducting  him  into 
office.  Bristow  was  not  averse  to  such  a  course,  for  he 
was  a  man  of  strong,  positive  character,  and  would 
have  led  an  attack  on  his  opponent  fearlessly  enough, 
if  the  army  and  supplies  had  been  available.  But  the 
Standard  Oil  Company  had  all  the  money  and  supplies 
and  the  people  were  not  in  distress.  So  no  army  and 
supplies  came  to  hand,  and  Bristow  and  the  socialist 
party  being  just  like  human  beings  in  every  age  and 
clime,  did  what  human  beings  have  always  done,  sub- 
mitted, subsided  and  finally  disbanded.  The  business 
system  had  conquered,  and  although  it  was  a  monopo- 
listic system,  and  in  its  war  against  competition  pro- 
duced some  distress,  as  it  was  the  best  system  the  peo- 
ple knew  anything  about  practically,  no  serious  dis- 


144  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

turbances  occurred  and  the  grim  old  world  went  whirl- 
ing to  its  fate. 

Bristow,  however,  was  too  great  a  man  to  become 
soured  by  defeat.  Although  he  had  lived  for  forty 
years  in  retirement,  and  although  he  no  longer  had  a 
mission  to  perform,  life  was  still  good  to  him  and  he 
lived  it.  But  the  great  man  of  action  of  1940-52  had, 
in  1990,  become  the  great  man  of  thought.  The 
leader  of  material  units  of  former  years  was  now  a 
philosopher  whose  life  was  thought.  Like  the  dark 
man  of  destiny — the  hero  of  Austerlitz  and  the  pris- 
oner of  St.  Helena — his  words  in  exile  and  isolation 
were  greater  than  his  acts  as  revolution's  man  of  iron 
and  death. 

Bristow  was  no  part  of  Standard's  system.  He 
was  no  part  of  any  system.  He  had  written  his  auto- 
biography and  Standard  had  printed  it.  Had  it  been 
other  than  philosophical,  it  would  still  have  commended 
itself  to  Standard's  consideration.  Thousands  of  peo- 
ple remembered  Bristow  and  the  book  sold  well. 
Nothing  could  disturb  Standard  and  it  feared  no  the- 
ories or  visions.  Bristow  derived  a  fair  income  from 
the  book,  but  spent  it  all  in  relieving  such  cases  of 
misfortune  as  came  under  his  notice.  He  did  not  re- 
lieve the  deserving.  As  a  business  proposition  Stan- 
dard looked  after  what  it  called  deserving  cases.  Bris- 
tow helped  a  few  of  the  miserable  undeserving — on  the 
theory  that  as  all  were  responsible  for  all  the  bad  con- 
ditions which  produced  sin  in  all  ages — he  was  in  duty 
bound  to  help  them. 

'To  what  may  I  attribute  this  call,  gentlemen?" 
asked  the  old  campaigner,  as  he  seated  himself. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  145 

"You  are  aware,  Mr.  Bristow,"  began  the  Secre- 
tary, "that  a  singular  and  unusual  thing  has  occurred." 

"You  refer  to  the  will  of  Rockefeller  giving  all  his 
property  to  the  United  States?" 

"Precisely."  answered  the  Secretary.  "You  are 
a  Socialist.  What  do  you  think  as  to  the  wisdom  of 
Rockefeller's  course.  It  has  been  reputed  that  you 
and  he  were  the  extremes  of  thought.  Now  it  would 
appear  that  he  entertained  your  views.  He  was  a 
Democratic  Socialist  after  all." 

"Yes,"  answered  Bristow,  dryly.  "He  was  an 
autocratic  socialist  during  his  life  and  a  Democratic 
Socialist  after  death."  After  a  short  pause  during 
which  he  looked  at  his  visitors  searchingly  and  yet  not 
unkindly,  he  said,  "But  what  does  it  matter  to  an  old 
man  like  me  what  Morgan  Rockefeller  has  done!  It 
is  merely  one  of  many  startling  incidents  in  my  long 
life.  Every  turn  has  been  a  surprise.  Nothing  can  be 
or  ever  is  anticipated.  What  do  you  gentlemen  wish 
me  to  say?" 

President  Adams  had  remained  silent  as  he  had 
no  wish  to  disclose  his  identity.  To  visit  the  defeated 
candidate  of  former  years  was  not  undignified  so  long 
as  he  remained  incognito.  He  allowed  the  Secretary 
to  conduct  the  conversation. 

"Mr.  Bristow,  we  would  like  to  have  you  tell  us 
what  you  would  do,  if  you  were  now  president  and  the 
will  had  made  you  executor  to  carry  out  its  provisions." 
The  Secretary  spoke  rather  low. 

"I  think  I  understand  you" — Bristow  put  one  hand 
up  to  his  ear.  "I  am  a  little  deaf — for  I  am  quite  old. 
I  do  not  feel  called  upon  to  decide  such  a  question  as 


146  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

you  propound.  In  the  political  system  which  my  suc- 
cess would  have  created — no  such  sudden  and  revolu- 
tionary change  would  have  occurred." 

"But  could  you  not,"  persisted  the  Secretary, 
"could  you  not  imagine  yourself  in  this  position  and, 
as  a  Democratic  Socialist,  advise  us  as  to  how  Demo- 
cratic Socialism  will  handle  the  situation?" 

"Mr.  Endicott,  I  do  not  think  a  system  of  Demo- 
cratic Socialism  can  ever  succeed.  Democratic  Social- 
ism was  once  the  light  by  which  my  life  was  guided.  I 
take  it,  gentlemen,  because  Mr.  Endicott  is  the  Presi- 
dent's Secretary  of  War,  that  the  President  also  is  per- 
plexed. Well,  he  may  be.  He  will  find  the  constitu- 
tional system  of  the  government  entirely  incapable  of 
handling  this  vast  property.  Once  I  believed  that  the 
government  should  own  everything.  I  am  older  now 
and  wiser,  and  know  that  political  government  is  merely 
a  sort  of  a  bodyguard  of  the  economic  system.  Mr. 
Rockefeller  was  no  doubt  a  sincere  believer  in  Demo- 
cratic Socialism  as  I  was  formerly.  Gentlemen,  I  have 
progressed  beyond  that  theory.  I  am  still  a  Socialist— 
that  is,  I  still  belive  that  before  God's  purpose  for  the 
human  race  shall  be  entirely  revealed  and  the  race 
shall  become  what  he  intends — Socialism  must  super- 
cede all  other  systems.  Rockefeller  was  a  business  or 
economic  Socialist  in  practice.  He  made  millions 
work  together  for  his  advancement.  Caesar  was  a 
Socialist,  too,  only  Caesar's  Socialism  made  many  hun- 
dred thousand  soldiers  work  and  fight  together  for  the 
establishment  of  his  empire." 

The  President  was  interested.  He  was  surprised 
to  hear  this  man  whom  he  had  been  taught  to  look  upon 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  147 

with  abhorrence  and  almost  hatred,  express  such  modi- 
fied views.  He  could  not  forbear  to  enter  into  the  con- 
versation. 

"Mr.  Bristow,"  said  he,  "your  analysis  is  good, 
but  can  you  give  us  a  practical  solution  of  the  great 
problem  before  us?  You  have  meditated  on  these  sub- 
jects long  and  profoundly.  What  should  President 
Adams  do?" 

"President  Adams  must  remember  that  Govern- 
ment Socialism  can  never  be  successful.  No  system  can 
be  unless  it  is  an  outgrowth  rather  than  a  creation. 
Systems  are  developed  through  countless  years  of  ex- 
periment and  cannot  be  forcibly  revolutionized.  If 
its  activities  are  stopped  by  violence  or  otherwise, 
chaos  results  and  the  reorganization  means  a  return 
to  that  system  which  men  understand.  Society  will 
perfect  itself,  but  those  who  work  for  its  uplifting  must 
be  satisfied  to  have  the  patience  of  God.  Let  President 
Adams  do  the  best  he  can.  If  he  seeks  a  government 
for  the  great  system  different  from  that  which  it  has 
created  for  itself,  he  will  make  a  complete  and  dismal 
failure.  We  Socialists  believe  the  economic  system 
develops  its  own  government  and  that  no  other  form 
is  fit  for  it.  In  other  words,  the  economic  system  is 
the  primary  consideration,  the  government  of  that  sys- 
tem is  a  secondary  consideration." 

"You  think  then,"  said  the  President,  "that  Mr. 
Rockefeller's  plan  of  uniting  the  political  and  economic 
in  one  system  must  fail?" 

"I  think  it  will  destroy  both  the  political  and  the 
economic.  Give  the  economic  system  to  the  govern- 
ment and  the  government  will  be  overburdened,  over- 


148  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

borne  and  overcome.  President  Adam's  government 
during  Rockefeller's  life  was  only  a  shadow.  After 
Rockefeller's  death  it  will,  if  this  plan  of  having  it 
merge  the  economic  is  carried  out,  become  a  disaster." 

President  Adams  was  visibly  affected.  Had  Bris- 
tow's  eyes  been  clear  he  would  have  noticed  that  his 
visitor's  face  turned  deathly  pale. 

"What  is  to  be  done?"  almost  gasped  the  Presi- 
dent in  a  low  and  subdued  voice. 

"Sir,"  exclaimed  Bristow,  turning  toward  Mr. 
Adams  with  a  note  of  earnestness  in  his  voice,  "I  said 
to  you  that  Socialism  in  some  form  will  continue 
until  God  will  have  his  way.  In  another  decade 
two  thousand  years  will  have  passed  since  a  remedy 
for  all  human  ills  was  given  to  man.  God  sent  his  only 
begotten  son  to  be  the  bearer  of  an  inestimable  gift  to 
man.  What  was  it?  Brotherly  love!  I  am  an  old 
man.  In  my  long  life  I  have  seen  those  on  whom  this 
unspeakable  gift  was  bestowed,  seek  every  remedy  but 
the  one  which  is  simplest  and  best.  Let  Mr.  Adams 
know  that  if  he  will  inject  brotherly  love — Christ's 
remedy — into  the  business  or  economic  system,  he  will 
be  successful  in  administering  Mr.  Rockefeller's  be- 
quest." 

"So  that  is  what  the  old  Socialist's  life  fades  into," 
remarked  Endicott  after  they  bade  Bristow  good  even- 
ing and  were  on  their  way  back  to  the  Executive  Man- 
sion. "He  admits  that  his  theories  were  all  impracti- 
cal, and  is  now,  at  the  close  of  his  life,  dreaming  dreams 
of  brotherly  love." 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
A  LEAF  FROM  A  LIFE. 

The  President  was  disappointed. 

He  had  hoped  that  Bristow,  out  of  the  fullness  of 
his  long  life  and  experience,  could  shed  a  ray  of  light 
upon  this  dark  problem. 

There  was  a  dim  suggestion  of  such  a  ray  in  what 
had  been  said,  but  after  all,  the  generalities  of  the  con- 
versation were  too  misty  for  his  practical  mind  to  ap- 
preciate. He  wanted  a  plan.  He  wanted  facts.  He 
wanted  details.  Was  it  possible  that  the  hot  political 
campaign  of  1952  was  fought  on  such  intangible  theo- 
ries as  Bristow  had  advanced  that  evening?  It 
seemed  incredible.  The  President  suspected  that  ex- 
treme old  age  had  weakened  Bristow's  perceptions.  He 
called  for  the  autobiography  of  John  R.  Bristow,  which 
was  in  the  library,  but  which  he  had  never  had  time  to 
read. 

When  it  was  placed  in  his  hands,  he  opened  it 
carelessly  and  read : 

'The  Democratic  republic  of  commercial  America 
was  well  described  by  the  historian  Macauley  as  being 
'all  sail  and  no  rudder/  Fortunate  or  unfortunate  as 
this  may  be,  it  is  rendered  subject  to  the  strongest 
influences  which  the  activities  may  develop.     I  saw, 


150  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

prior  to  1952,  the  very  conditions  which  Macauley  pre- 
dicted.    He  said: 

"  The  day  will  come  when,  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  a  multitude  of  people,  none  of  whom  have  had 
more  than  half  a  breakfast  or  expects  to  have  more 
than  half  a  dinner,  will  choose  a  legislature.  Is  it  pos- 
sible to  doubt  what  sort  of  a  legislature  will  be  chosen? 
On  one  side  is  a  statesman  preaching  patience,  respect 
for  vested  rights,  strict  observance  of  public  faith.  On 
the  other  is  a  demagogue  ranting  about  the  tyranny  of 
capitalists  and  usurers,  and  asking  why  anybody  should 
be  permitted  to  drink  champagne  and  to  ride  in  a  car- 
riage while  thousands  of  honest  folks  are  in  want  of 
necessities.  Which  of  the  two  candidates  is  likely  to 
be  preferred  by  a  working  man  who  hears  his  children 
cry  for  more  bread?'  " 

"In  1952,  not  the  State  of  New  York  alone,  but 
all  America  furnished  the  example  proposed  by  the 
historian.  I  was  the  candidate  of  the  Socialist  party  for 
President.  S.N.Cleveland  was  the  candidate  of  the  vest- 
ed interests,  then  mostly  controlled  by  Aldrich  Rocke- 
feller. The  people  were  impoverished.  Millions  could 
obtain  little  more  than  half  a  breakfast.  They  were 
ready  to  vote  for  me  if  I  could  guarantee  them  food  for 
their  children.  I  could  not  do  so  and  they  knew  it. 
But  Cleveland  was  supported  by  the  vested  interests 
and  the  people  believed  the  vested  interests  could  re- 
lieve their  present  distress.  Therefore  Cleveland  be- 
came President,  partly  because  the  people  looked  to 
him  for  food  and  partly  because  the  interests  were 
able  to  count  votes  which  I  am  sure  were  never  cast. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  151 

Therefore  the  example  proved  precisely  the  contrary 
of  what  the  historian  felt  certain  it  would. 

"It  was  a  contest  between  the  men  who  controlled 
the  Socialist  political  party  on  the  one  side,  and  the 
Republican  party  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company  and  all 
the  wealth  of  America,  on  the  other.  The  propaganda  of 
the  Socialists  was  maintained  by  a  press  which,  be- 
cause only  slight  capital  sustained  it,  was  considered 
irresponsible.  All  the  great  papers  and  most  of  the 
great  writers  were  owned  by  Standard. 

"Why  was  not  the  Socialist  party  successful? 

"We  called  it  the  party  of  liberty,  of  fraternity  and 
of  the  people. 

"We  proposed  to  get  control  of  the  government 
first  and  then  to  take  the  industries  away  from  Rocke- 
feller and  give  them  to  the  government. 

"We  proposed  that  the  new  government  would 
operate  all  industries  as  it  managed  the  post  office  de- 
partment. 

"How  could  we  get  control  of  the  government? 

"By  voting  our  candidate  into  office. 

"When  we  obtained  the  offices,  how  would  we 
administer  them  so  as  to  place  the  industries  at  their 
disposal?     How  get  them  away  from  Standard? 

"I  now  see  that  we  began  at  the  wrong  end. 

"Government  is  only  a  shadow  of  the  economic 
power. 

"Had  we  possessed  control  of  the  economic  power 
we  would  have  had  no  difficulty  in  creating  and  main- 
taining any  form  of  government  we  chose. 

"But  government  is  incapable  of  either  creating 
or  conducting  a   business  independently.     Germany 


152  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

could  not  do  it  even  within  confined  limits,  were  it  not 
for  the  aid  and  assistance  of  the  so-called  business  in- 
terests. 

"I  can  now  see  clearly  enough  that  we  sought  to 
seize  the  shadow  and  then,  through  the  imaginary  force 
contained  in  the  shadow,  seize  and  operate  the  indus- 
tries. 

' 'Suppose  the  government  were  suddenly  annihi- 
lated. The  industries  would  rebuild  it  almost  in- 
stantly. But  if  the  industries  are  destroyed,  govern- 
ment can  never  rebuild  them  and  men  nust  proceed 
to  do  so  by  the  same  slow,  laborious,  systematic  method 
and  work  which  created  them  in  the  first  instance. 

"Whosoever  owns  the  instrumentalities  of  pro- 
duction and  distribution  will  own  and  control  the  gov- 
ernment. If  the  Socialist  party  had  owned  the  eco- 
nomic instrumentalities,  it  would  not  have  needed  the 
government  except  as  society  needs  a  watchman  or  a 
police  officer. 

"The  defeat  of  the  party  which  I  represented 
was  the  last  stand  humanity  made  for  popular  govern- 
ment in  America.  The  success  of  Rockefeller  was  com- 
plete, and  universal  Socialism  was  established  in  the 
interest  of  an  autocrat. 

"Is  there  any  redemption? 

"Yes.  The  redemption  will  come  through  the 
operation  of  God's  eternal  law.  It  will  come  in  God's 
appointed  time.  Feudalism  developed  despotism  ages 
ago.  Despotism  in  the  military  system  submitted  by 
compulsion  to  the  modification  introduced  by  the 
commercial  system.  In  England  the  commercial 
gained  absolute  control  but  did  not  banish  the  sem- 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  153 

blance  of  feudalism.  The  feudal  government  and  the 
commercial  were  welded.  But  in  America  the  system 
became  purely  commercial.  The  feudal  conditions 
had  no  place.  Titles  were  abolished.  Hereditary 
privileges  were  prohibited. 

"John  D.  Rockefeller,  Morgan  Rockefeller's  great 
ancestor,  was  an  evolution  of  the  commercial  system. 
No  trace  of  the  old  barbaric,  picturesque  feudal  idea 
could  be  discovered  in  his  make  up.  He  was  possible 
only  because  America  was  full  of  would  be  Rockefellers. 
He  obtained  the  prize  and  when  the  innumerable  like- 
nesses of  this  great  man  found  he  had  captured  the 
prize  they  sought,  he  was  denounced  on  all  sides.  He 
was  without  doubt  the  best  type  of  the  commercial 
system  as  Caesar  was  the  best  type  of  the  military. 
As  the  commercial  was  greater  and  higher  than  the 
military,  so  Rockefeller,  the  highest  exponent  of  that 
power,  was  and  is  greater  than  Caesar,  the  highest  ex- 
ponent of  the  latter. 

"The  absolutism  of  Morgan  Rockefeller,  Amer- 
ica's dictator,  will  be  modified. 

"How? 

"I  do  not  know. 

"Nobody  knows  except  God. 

"God's  law  is  expressed  in  the  rule  which  men 
call  Golden. 

"It  is  brotherly  love. 

"If  somebody  can  organize  brotherly  love  as 
Christ  taught  it  and  apply  it  to  God's  kingdom  on 
earth — then  His  will  will  be  done — His  kingdom  will 
come  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven. 

"I  have  some  times  imagined  the  possibility  of 


154  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

Morgan  Rockefeller  or  some  descendant  assuming 
to  transfer  the  system  which  he  controls  to  the  govern- 
ment which  he  permits  to  exist. 

"If  he  did  so,  what  would  happen? 

"But  after  all,  it  is  not  to  be  expected,  and  time 
spent  in  such  speculation  is  wasted.  Whatever  new 
system  is  to  supercede  the  dictatorship  of  the  Rocke- 
fellers, will  steal  in  unawares,  as  the  commercial  stole 
in  on  the  military.  Let  us  hope,  in  the  providence  of 
God  that  the  new  system  will  be  the  fraternal." 

The  President  closed  the  book  almost  impatiently, 
then  burying  his  face  in  his  hands,  sat  in  silence  for  a 
long  time. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 
THE  CABINET  MEETING. 

May  we  enter  the  cabinet  meeting  which  occurred 
the  day  after  the  reading  of  the  will? 

May  we  listen  to  the  discussion  and  view  the  faces 
of  its  members  unobserved? 

The  most  eminent  statesmen  of  the  age  are  there, 
each  at  the  head  of  a  department  of  the  political  gov- 
ernment. There  is  Blaine,Secretary  of  State,  descendent 
of  James  Gillespie  Blaine  who  nourished  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Is  it  a  case  of  atavism? 
How  strikingly  like  his  great  ancestor  in  manner  and  ap- 
pearance— only  James  G.,  the  ancestor  had  the  bold 
commanding  look  of  a  king,  as  if  there  was  no  power 
to  which  he  could  not  attain.  The  descendant  gave 
the  impression  that  his  bold  and  commanding  manner 
was  assumed  in  the  name  of  some  other — and  a  court- 
ier's gentle  smile  played  lightly  on  his  face. 

There  is  Endicott,  Secretary  of  War,  young  and 
handsome,  but  of  somewhat  cynical  expression. 

There  are  Evans,  Secretary  of  Navy;  Thompson, 
Secretary  of  Interior;  Garfield,  Secretary  of  Commerce; 
Wanamaker,  Postmaster  General;  Holmes,  Attorney 
General.     Other  departments  are  also  represented. 

But  why  are  they  assembled? 


156  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

What  has  a  political  body  to  do  with  the  will  of 
Morgan  Rockefeller  or  the  economic  system? 

President  Adams,  not  the  government,  is  executor 
of  the  will. 

But  the  estate  has  been  devised  to  the  government. 

What  department  shall  exercise  for  the  govern- 
ment, the  functions  of  trustee? 

Shall  each  department  assume  a  responsibility? 
Or  shall  the  President  assume  all  responsibility  and 
leave  the  several  departments  to  their  present  work? 

Tremendous  questions  those! 

A  more  important  question  than  all  of  them,  how- 
ever, presses  for  solution. 

"The  industries  which  have  come  into  the  hands 
of  the  President,  as  executor  of  the  will,  must  be  contin- 
ued in  operation."  Thus  speaks  the  Attorney  General. 
"To  stop  the  mills,  workshops,  railroads,  ships  and 
stores  of  this  estate  would  be  equal  to  a  decree  of  death 
to  all  humanity.  President  Adams,  as  executor  of  this 
will,  has  a  greater  responsibility  than  as  President  of  the 
government.  By  a  single  word  he  can  close  the  indus- 
tries and  crush  both  the  government  and  society, 
which  shows,  plainly  enough,  that  the  government  is 
the  least  important  of  the  President's  present  responsi- 
bilities. Still  the  constitution  of  the  republic  does  not 
permit  the  government  to  do  business.  None  of  its 
provisions  suggest  that  its  makers  contemplated  that 
the  federal  government  should  take,  hold  and  operate 
any  enterprise  of  a  purely  industrial  or  commercial  na- 
ture. This  will,  therefore,  provides  for  the  transferrence 
of  the  estate  to  officials  who  have  no  legal  authority  to 
employ  the  functions  of  their  offices  in  commercial  or 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  157 

industrial  pursuits.  Will  any  government  official  dare 
to  assume  to  perform  duties  not  legally  attached 
to  the  office?  I  cannot  see  how  the  government  can 
run  these  vast  industries.  In  order  to  do  so  you  must 
change  the  constitution  radically — so  radically  as  to 
abolish  the  present  system  of  political  administration 
and  create  a  new  form  of  government  altogether." 

"How  would  it  do,  General/'  suggested  Secretary 
Blaine,  "to  sell  the  estate  to  the  highest  bidder?" 

Secretary  Blaine  smiled  as  he  made  the  suggestion. 

"You  must  not  forget,  Mr.  Secretary,  that  the 
Rockefeller  estate  owns  all  the  nation's  wealth  and 
consequently  is  the  only  possible  purchaser  who  is 
able,  ready  and  willing.  Where  would  any  proposed 
purchaser  get  the  money  to  pay  the  purchase  price? 
The  assessed  valuation  is  over  three  hundred  billion 
dollars.  Again,  even  if  any  person  had  the  means  to 
purchase,  has  not  the  order  demonetizing  gold,  and 
making  all  bills  due  the  estate  payable  in  labor  ex- 
change checks,  so  completely  deprived  gold  of  its  pur- 
chasing power  as  to  make  a  purchase  and  sale  impos- 
sible? In  other  words  — the  system  has  become  auto- 
matic, and,  unless  somebody  stops  the  machinery  for- 
cibly, it  will  continue  to  operate  successfully  and  per- 
petually and  to  govern  itself  by  its  own  rules  and  regu- 
lations." 

The  great  men  of  the  cabinet  sit  back  with  serious 
and  thoughtful  faces.  They  have  never  considered 
the  problem  in  this  light  before  and  they  are  annoyed 
that  such  an  avenue  of  escape  is  cut  off.  They  feel 
still  more  profoundly  their  overwhelming  responsibil- 
ity.    While  they  realize  that  a  strong  government  can 


158  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

do  anything  it  wishes,  they  know  that  no  official  or 
combination  will  dare  to  exceed  the  limits  of  legal  au- 
thority. They  themselves  have  no  conception  of  what 
their  duties  in  the  new  order  will  be.  However,  relief 
comes  so  far  as  one  phase  is  concerned. 

His  excellency,  the  President,  has  been  silent,  but 
now  speaks: 

"I  desire  to  inform  the  cabinet  that,  as  executor 
of  this  will,  I  made  a  compromise  with  the  Colorado 
Provisional  Government,  as  it  calls  itself,  whereby  all 
property  has  been  restored  by  that  government  to  the 
estate  on  condition  that  I  rescind  the  order  demone- 
tizing gold.  I  have  agreed  to  rescind  the  order  to- 
morrow." 

What  boisterous  applause!  The  cabinet  is  de- 
lighted. The  members  rush  forward  and  congratulate 
the  President.  "He  is  the  greatest  statesman  that 
ever  lived,"  they  declare  to  one  another. 

Three  plans  are  proposed  for  consideration. 

First,  to  sell  the  entire  plant. 

Second,  to  apportion  the  property  among  the  sev- 
eral states  with  permission  to  lease  each  plant  to  com- 
petent men  at  a  stipulated  rental. 

Third,  to  find  the  heir  of  the  estate,  Morgan  Rock- 
efeller's niece,  have  her  contest  the  will  and  arrange  to 
have  it  set  aside  in  her  favor  on  the  ground  that  the 
government  had  no  capacity  to  accept  such  a  legacy 
and  that  the  testator  was  of  unsound  mind  when  the 
will  was  made. 

"I  believe,"  says  President  Adams,  "that  the  last 
plan  is  the  best.  Mobs  cannot  manage  business  enter- 
prises, and  now  that  the  government,  which  is  the 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  159 

voice  of  the  mob  muffled  by  the  constitution,  and  this 
estate  are  one,  the  greatest  corruption  is  bound  to 
creep  in.  Cliques  will  organize  to  acquire  privileges, 
and  democratic  socialism  will  destroy  civilization  and 
restore  barbarism  quicker  than  any  disintegrating  in- 
fluence I  know  of." 

"What  are  the  prospects,"  asks  Secretary  Blaine, 
"of  rescuing  the  lost  heiress,  Miss  Channing?" 

"I  have  the  honor  to  report,"  replies  Secretary 
Endicott,  accepting  the  question  as  directed  to  him, 
"that  the  executor  of  the  will  has  placed  at  my  disposal 
a  large  fund  to  be  employed  in  that  work.  I  have 
sent  one  of  our  skillful  manipulators,  Moreland  Hughes, 
to  Colombia,  in  South  America,  with  ample  means  to 
inaugurate  and  carry  forward  a  revolution.  He  is  fa- 
miliar with  Spanish,  which  he  speaks  like  a  native,  and 
has  spent  much  time  in  Colombia  in  former  years.  The 
people  of  Colombia  are  easily  corrupted.  Revolution  is 
a  matter  of  money.  Whoever  can  distribute  the  most 
money  among  them  will  win.  We  expect  to  capture 
the  outlaw,  Jamieson,  and  bring  him  to  this  country  for 
trial.  Mr.  Alden  Lowell  has  discovered  by  means  of 
his  most  remarkable  invention  that  the  young  lady  is 
in  Medellin,  but  since  her  arrival  there  the  reflector 
has  not  been  able  to  reach  behind  closed  doors  and 
brick  walls.  The  plan  is  to  search  Jamieson's  house 
and,  if  necessary,  every  house  in  Antiochia,  to  find  her." 

The  decree  rescinding  the  order  by  which  gold 
was  demonetized  was  popular  everywhere. 

It  was  a  triumph  of  weakness  manifested  in  poli- 
tical action,  over  logic,  strength  and  justice.  It  was  a 
step  backwards.     The  cabinet  did  just  what  might  be 


160  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

expected  of  men  who  were  guided  merely  by  a  political 
sense.  A  government  through  which  blazed  the  fires 
of  prejudice,  superstition  and  passion,  and  in  which 
the  dogwood  of  illogical  habit  grew  most  luxuriantly, 
could  not  be  expected  to  do  otherwise.  The  commercial 
power  of  the  nation  never  made  such  mistakes.  It 
might  vary  its  methods,  to  increase  its  profits,  but  it 
never  changed  its  system  except  to  improve  it. 

Colorado  having  returned  to  the  political  and  in- 
dustrial union,  the  reputation  of  the  President  shone 
with  dazzling  lustre  and  his  personal  influence  increased 
with  all  classes  of  people.  His  power  or  influence  now 
exceeded  that  of  any  president  the  republic  ever  had 
and  his  popularity  was  altogether  unusual  for  one  who 
controlled  the  industrial  interests. 

But  the  absorbing  question  which  took  precedence 
of  all  others  remained  unsolved. 

"What  shall  the  government  do  with  the  business 
system?" 

"What  shall  the  business  system  do  with  the  gov- 
ernment?" 

It  was  becoming  apparent  every  day  that  neither 
was  suited  to  the  other's  needs. 

The  political  was  entirely  unnecessary  to  the  com- 
mercial. 

The  commercial  was  not  in  the  least  degree  sub- 
missive to  or  under  the  control  of  the  political.  The 
masses  were  contented  enough,  but  murmurs  of  dis- 
content arose  here  and  there,  not  very  pronounced  at 
first,  yet  growing  louder  among  the  favored  and  privi- 
leged classes,  the  annuitants  and  geniuses,  as  the  med- 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  161 

alized  and  distinguished  inventors  and  literary  or  scien- 
tific experts  were  called. 

These  disturbed  the  cabinet,  members  of  Congress, 
officials  and  rulers.  They  made  sentiment.  Their 
opinions  dropped  to  the  social  station  below  them. 
Revolutionary  influences  were  beginning  to  work. 
Fermentation  was  in  progress. 

A  special  seession  of  Congress  was  called. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 
THAT  SPECIAL  SESSION. 

September,  1990,  saw  Congress  in  session,  and  en- 
gaged in  a  parliamentary  discussion  over  the  govern- 
ment's unexpected  bequest.  The  President  in  his 
message  recommended  that  the  representatives  of  the 
people  make  some  disposition  of  it  by  which  the  burden 
would  be  removed  from  the  President's  shoulders.  He 
pointed  out,  briefly,  the  legal  difficulties  which  the  con- 
stitution presented  to  the  realization  of  Mr.  Rocke- 
feller's dream,  and  suggested  the  three  plans  which  had 
been  formulated  by  the  cabinet.  He  reminded 
Congress  that  it  was  not  confined  to  the  three  plans 
suggested,  but  that  it  would  be  entitled  to  the  highest 
credit,  if  it  could  and  would  dispose  of  this  three  hun- 
dred billion  dollar  property  by  some  better  plan  than 
any  of  those  suggested. 

Congress  approached  the  subject  gravely  and  cau- 
tiously. 

Its  members  had  to  deal  with  constituencies  which 
now  felt  their  importance  as  they  had  never  felt  it  be- 
fore. They  did  not  dare  to  act  in  defiance  of  the  will 
of  their  electorates.  The  nation  was  alive  to  the  possi- 
bilities which  the  bequest  suggested,  but  not  to  the 
difficulties  confronting  their  rulers. 

The  long  discussions  of  that  famous  session  form 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  163 

a  compendium  of  learning  and  eloquence  which  never 
before  emanated  from  a  parliamentary  body.  Every 
fact  or  pretended  fact,  every  theory  or  pretended  theory, 
every  dream,  or  fancy,  which  literature,  science  or  de- 
bate ever  developed  will  be  found  in  the  speeches  which 
appear  in  the  congressional  record.  In  1890  such  a 
discussion  would  have  paralyzed  business,  destroyed 
confidence  and  precipitated  an  avalanche  of  misery. 
In  1990  it  had  no  effect  on  business,  but  it  did  produce 
a  degree  of  unrest  among  the  people  which  took  on  a 
revolutionary  character.  The  upshot  of  it  all  was  that 
the  President  and  cabinet  were  directed  to  dispose  of 
the  estate,  in  whole  or  in  part,  by  sale  to  the  highest 
bidder,  and  that  all  values  must  be  appraised  by  a  com- 
mission appointed  from  each  state. 

It  was  estimated  that  the  work  of  the  commission 
would  require  at  least  a  year. 

If  there  should  be  no  bidders  within  sixty  days 
after  the  valuation  had  been  fixed,  then  the  President 
was  expected  to  recommend  another  plan. 

This  decision  was  distasteful  to  the  President. 
His  inclination  was  to  veto  it,  but  after  consideration 
he  concluded  to  allow  it  to  become  effective  without 
his  signature. 

He  could  not  see  where  the  problem  had  been  sim- 
plified. 

It  was  as  complex,  as  unsolvable,  as  exasperating 
as  ever.  His  own  burdens  as  President  and  executor 
were  so  heavy  as  to  be  well  nigh  unbearable.  In  order 
to  perform  his  duties  he  was  obliged  to  delegate  the 
political  government  to  the  vice-president  and  to  give 
more  and  closer  attention  to  the  industrial. 


164  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

He  also  developed  a  theory  that  the  more  satis- 
factory his  business  operations  proceeded,  the  less  im- 
portant the  political  government  appeared  to  be.  He 
was  convinced  that  if  the  industrial  system  was  all 
right,  if  it  produced  abundantly  and  distributed  fairly 
and  justly,  the  governmental  system  could  not  go  far 
astray. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 
THE  ARROW  SHOOTS  HOME. 

The  winged  ship,  Arrow,  flew  out  of  the  harbor 
of  little  old  Cartegena  under  a  blue  sky  and  through 
equally  blue  waters.  It  was  delightful  to  sit  on  the 
shady  side  of  the  boat  and  look  back  at  the  walled  city, 
the  high  hills,  the  ancient  fortress  and  the  gray,  de- 
serted monastery.  What  traditions  of  a  period  of  the 
world's  history,  more  romantic  than  the  wildest  and 
fiercest  conflict  of  knight  or  crusader,  these  scenes  re- 
vived Helen,  as  she  sat  on  the  deck  and  viewed  the 
rapidly  receding  shores,  recalled  the  stirring  events 
with  which  fortress  and  monastery  were  associated. 
In  her  imagination  the  Great  Admiral  groped  his  way 
doubtfully  along  these  strange  shores,  and  buccaneers 
ploughed  boldly  through  this  boisterous  sea  to  bid  de- 
fiance to  the  walls  and  forts  which  defended  Cartagena, 
the  treasure  vault  of  the  Spanish  West.  Here  Drake, 
undaunted  and  savage  as  the  age  in  which  he  thrived, 
engaged  the  ships  of  Spain  and  sent  many  a  stout  ad- 
venturer to  his  fate  beneath  the  wave. 

But  the  Arrow  heeded  not  the  musings  nor  the  in- 
teresting associations  and  with  the  swiftness  of  a  meteor 
sped  on  its  way  across  the  Caribbean  sea.  Helen — 
rescued  and  homeward  bound — reveled  in  the  balmy 
breezes  of  that  tropical  ocean.     She  felt  as  if  life  were 


166  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

beginning  anew  with  her.  Nearly  three  months  before 
she  had  been  torn  away  from  her  home  and  the  work 
she  dearly  loved  and  detained  in  a  land  of  isolation. 
Now  it  was  past  and  seemed  like  a  horrible  dream 
from  which  she  was  awakening.  As  she  reclined  in  the 
deck  chair  and  thought  of  all  the  strange  events  of  her 
recent  life,  she  was  completely  lost  to  what  was  occur- 
ring immediately  around  her. 

"Oh!  Helen,  I  say,  Helen,"  called  a  feminine  voice 
beside  her  and  Helen,  startled  from  her  reverie,  looked 
up  and  saw  Mrs.  Locksley  in  the  act  of  placing  a  chair 
on  the  deck  beside  her. 

"I  declare,"  said  Mrs.  Locksley,  "I  never  knew 
you  to  be  so  absent-minded." 

"Well,  I  guess,  Auntie,"  declared  Helen,  smiling 
happily  into  Mrs.  Locksley's  beaming  countenance, 
"I  guess  you  would  be  a  little  absent  minded  if  you  had 
gone  through  as  many  sudden  changes  as  I  have." 

"Well,  Helen,  if  you  had  stayed  for  three  weeks, 
all  sole  alone  in  a  place  like  that  Cartegena  with  its 
narrow  street,  its  strange  food  and  outlandish  people, 
waiting  in  terrible  suspense  to  learn  the  whereabouts  of 
the  one  who  was  dearest  in  the  world  to  you,  you 
might  be  excused  for  getting  absent-minded." 

"I  know,  Auntie,"  returned  Helen  self -reproach- 
fully, "you  must  have  had  a  terrible  time.  I  wonder 
if  it  is  worse  to  be  in  suspense  over  the  whereabouts  of  a 
lost  friend  than  it  is  to  be  in  suspense  because  your 
friends  don't  know  where  you  are  and  are  worrying 
about  you." 

"But  you  were  telling  me,  Helen,  at  the  hotel,  last 
evening,  how  Alden  Lowell  and  General  Romero  found 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  167 

you  and  I  was  quite  desperate  when  Mr.  Lowell  inter- 
rupted.    Can  you  finish  now?" 

"Not  much  to  finish,  Auntie.  There  they  were— 
revolutionists — right  in  my  room  and  I  taken  prisoner. 
Of  course  I  supposed  it  was  another  capture  just  as  bad 
as  when  I  was  seized  in  Watertown,  and  prepared  for 
the  worst.  Then  there  was  Colonel  Gonzales  whom 
General  Romero  ordered  to  take  charge  of  me  as  his 
prisoner  and  when  I  looked  behind  the  blazing  uniform 
of  the  revolutionist  and  saw  the  face  of  Mr.  Alden 
Lowell — why,  I  just  fainted  and  he  caught  me  so  I 
didn't  fall.  Of  course  I  recovered  consciousness  just 
as  soon  as  I  could  and  then  it  turned  out  that  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  had  sent  General  Romero, 
whose  real  name  isn't  Romero  at  all,  and  who  is  just 
a  plain  American  citizen,  down  to  rescue  me  and  Mr. 
Lowell  went  down  with  him.  So  the  revolution  was 
all  about  me  after  all." 

"Well,  that  General  Jamieson,  as  they  call  him 
in  Cartagena,  will  get  his  deserts  when  he  gets  to  the 
States."  Mrs.  Locksley  was  not  smiling  when  she 
made  this  threat  and  the  look  which  came  over  her 
face  was  quite  fierce.  "The  idea,  that  he  should  abduct 
a  young  lady,  and  that  young  lady  the  richest  in  the 
world." 

"Oh,  Auntie!"  exclaimed  Helen,  "am  I  really  re- 
lated to  Morgan  Rockefeller?" 

"Well,  I  guess  you  are!"  Mrs.  Locksley  spoke 
very  positively.  "I  guess  you  are  and  you  are  the  only 
blood  relation  near  enough  to  be  his  heir.  Didn't  Mr. 
Lowell  tell  you?  All  the  people  in  the  United  States 
know  it  and  more  than  half,  I  think,  believe  you  ought 


168  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

to  have  his  whole  property  instead  of  the  little  million 
a  year  he  left  you." 

"A  little  million  a  year!"  Helen  laughed  quite 
heartily.  "Little — why,  a  million  a  year  is  so  big  that  I 
couldn't  spend  it.  What  can  one  do  with  a  million  a 
year,  but  worry  about  it?  I  am  sure  I  don't  want  to  be 
his  heir  and  take  all  the  burdens  of  the  country  myself. 
It  wouldn't  be  just  to  make  me  do  it.  Let  each  bear 
his  own  share  of  the  burden  of  wealth.  I  am  sure  it  is 
a  burden.  I  was  reading  a  book  only  the  other  day 
which  showed  how  the  children  of  wealth  were  ruined 
by  their  wealth.  Each  had  to  cultivate  expensive 
habits  to  enable  him  to  distribute  what  he  had  to 
spend  and  didn't  really  need.  They  ate  too  much 
and  got  others  to  eat  too  much.  They  drank  too  much 
and  got  others  to  do  the  same.  They  dressed  too  much 
and  wasted  their  time  that  way.  They  made  poor  citi- 
zens, poor  husbands  and  wives,  poor  fathers  and  moth- 
ers, poor  sons  and  daughters,  and  were  corrupt, 
degenerate  and  dissipated.  They  were  poor  in  all 
things  but  money.  They  had  everything  they  ought 
not  to  have,  and  no  time  to  get  what  they  should  have. 
Each  should  be  compelled  by  law  to  take  his  own  share 
of  the  burden  of  wealth  and  not  force  it  with  all  its  dis- 
tressing results,  on  one  or  two  persons." 

Mrs.  Locksley  looked  at  Helen  in  blank  astonish- 
ment. But  after  a  pause  and  without  modifying  the 
expression  of  surprise,  she  said  under  her  breath: 

"Well,  I  believe  that  is  right." 

"Good  morning,  Miss  Channing — good  morning, 
Mrs.  Locksley!"  said  a  cheery  voice  just  then,  and  look- 
ing up  the  ladies  saw  Mr.  Lowell,  hat  in  one  hand  and  a 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  169 

deck  chair  in  the  other,  awaiting  an  invitation  to  be 
seated.  The  invitation  having  been  joyously  extended 
and  accepted,  the  conversation  turned  away  from  Co- 
lombia, whose  shores  were  now  but  a  faint  and  fading 
line  far  to  the  south,  to  that  land  of  hope  to  which  they 
were  hastening. 

"You  will  be  received  in  Boston  like  an  empress, 
Miss  Helen,' '  said  Alden.  "The  whole  nation  is  await- 
ing you  and  a  good  many  of  them  wo  uld  be  glad  to  help 
you  get  your  uncle's  estate." 

"And  I  would  not  thank  them,"  insisted  Helen. 
"Mr.  Lowell,  if  I  am  really  the  niece  of  Morgan  Rocke- 
feller and  all  this  fortune — I  do  not  call  it  'good'  as  you 
and  Auntie  do — has  come  to  me,  do  you  not  think  it 
wonderful  that  God  should  have  so  ordered,  that  I,  a 
woman,  should  be  placed  at  the  head  of  the  Reapers  of 
the  World?  That  I,  the  Lady  Harvester,  should  be  an 
instrument,  perhaps,  to  show  men  and  women  a  gift  so 
great  that  all  the  wealth  of  this  world  is  not  equal  to 
it?  That  I,  the  heir  of  Morgan  Rockefeller,  should  be 
appointed  to  illuminate  the  mission  of  Jesus,  who 
taught  men  that  brotherly  love  was  the  only  remedy 
for  their  ills  and  that  if  they  would  use  it  as  such,  this 
old  earth  is  capable  of  supplying  all  who  live  with 
abundance?  I  long  to  correct  the  mistake  which  Mor- 
gan Rockefeller  has  made — not  by  taking  this  burden 
of  wealth  myself,  but  by  sharing  it  fraternally  with  my 
brothers  and  sisters  who  are  joint  heirs  with  me." 


XXXII. 
THE  HEIRESS  UNCHANGED. 

"Have  you  not  forgotten  the  Reapers  after  these 
terrible  experiences?"    asked  Alden. 

"Forgotten  them!  Why,  Mr.  Lowell,  do  you 
think  anything  can  make  me  forget  the  Reapers? 
Never!  I  shall  return  to  Watertown  and  do  just  as  I 
have  done  before  and  if  I  have  any  influence,  as  you 
seem  to  think,  I  shall  use  it  to  repeal  those  laws  which 
President  Rockefeller  caused  to  be  enacted  to  suppress 
fraternal  and  secret  orders.  I  still  believe  the  Reapers 
have  a  great  mission  to  perform.  I  did  not  think  you 
would  backslide."    She  looked  reproachfully  at  Alden. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "I  assure  you  that  I  have  not 
deserted  the  Reapers.  If  you  believe  in  them,  I  do — but 
I  already  feel  that  I  understand  how  the  order  may  be- 
come of  wonderful  importance  now.  To  tell  you  the 
truth,  Miss  Channing,  I  am  more  profoundly  inter- 
ested in  the  fraternal  redemption  of  the  world  than 
ever  before.  Indeed,  you  may  be  sure  that  I  am 
greatly  relieved  by  your  decision  to  continue  your 
work  in  so  great  a  field.  But  if  you  will  allow  me  to 
change  the  subject — What  do  you  think  the  govern- 
ment will  do  with  General  Jamieson?" 

"You  know  better  than  I  do."  She  looked  down 
at  the  floor  of  the  deck  thoughtfully  and  sorrowfully. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  171 

"I  do  not  want  to  see  him  punished  and  I  would  like 
to  see  him  released  and  sent  back  to  Colombia." 

"Well,  I  should  hope  not!" exclaimed  Mrs.  Locks- 
ley.     "The  rogue  ought  to  be  hanged." 

"But  suppose  he  has  changed  his  views,  Auntie," 
pleaded  Helen.  "I  think,"  she  continued,  "he  ought 
to  go  back  to  Colombia  and,  although  he  is  old,  he 
could  start  the  fraternal  system  there." 

"Start  the  fraternal  system  in  Colombia!" 
laughed  Alden.  "Preposterous!  It  will  require  the 
strongest  kind  of  a  government  to  keep  Colombia 
quiet.  Fraternalism  would  find  no  good  soil  to  grow 
in  there." 

"You  are  wrong,  Mr.  Lowell.  If  an  association 
like  the  Reapers  of  the  World  had  been  organized  in 
America  in  the  time  of  John  D.  Rockefeller  and  had 
endeavored  to  acquire  the  industries  just  as  Rocke- 
feller did,  its  success,  instead  of  being  delayed  eighty- 
two  years,  would  have  been  accomplished  in  ten  or 
fifteen  years.  Let  me  illustrate."  Helen  had  be- 
come very  earnest  and  argumentative.  "Suppose 
there  had  been  twenty  thousand  members  of  a  fra- 
ternal order  in  Mr.  Rockefeller's  time.  Suppose  each 
had  been  devoted  to  his  order  and  paid  two  dollars  a 
month  into  a  trust  fund.  That  would  be  forty  thou- 
sand dollars  in  one  month,  eighty  thousand  in  two 
months,  four  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  in  a  year, 
four  million  eight  hundred  thousand  in  ten  years.. 
Now,  suppose  after  the  ten  years  of  such  accumulation 
the  chief  of  the  order  directed  three  members  to  form 
a  townsite  company  such  as  they  used  to  have.  The 
company  has  a  capital  stock  of  half  a  million.     The 


172  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

fraternal  order  buys  the  stock  and  puts  that  sum  in 
its  treasury.  The  order  is  now  the  only  stockholder. 
As  such  it  has  a  right  to  elect  all  the  directors.  It 
therefore  elects  the  most  practical  men  among  its 
members  who  understand  real  estate." 

"Ah!"  interrupted  Alden,  "you  don't  think  they 
would  make  a  wise  selection,  do  you?" 

"Why  not?  The  stockholders  of  John  D.'s  time 
were  wise,  and  a  fraternal  order  would  be  as  ready  to 
select  honest  men  as  anybody." 

"But  the  board  of  directors  would  not  be  compe- 
tent to  handle  the  townsite  business,  Helen,"  again 
interposed  Alden. 

"In  those  early  days  they  were.  Why  would  they 
not?  They  would  elect  a  first-class  manager  and  make 
him  responsible.  The  only  question  would  have  been — 
Can  a  fraternal  order  be  as  wise  and  honest  a  stock- 
holder as  an  old  line  life  insurance  company?  But  don't 
interrupt,  please.  I  want  to  continue.  The  manager 
of  the  townsite  company  finds  himself  in  possession  of 
half  a  million  which  he  is  to  invest  for  the  townsite 
company.  He  finds  a  tract  of  land — say  two  sec- 
tions— located  on  a  navigable  bay.  He  makes  a  bar- 
gain for  it  and  reports  it  to  the  board  of  directors. 
They  investigate  and  decide  to  purchase,  paying  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  it.  The  com- 
pany proceed  to  lay  out  a  town  and  build  a  store- 
building  or  two  and  a  number  of  houses.  The  chief  of 
the  fraternal  order  has,  in  the  meantime,  appointed 
three  others  to  organize  a  saw  mill  company.  The 
capital  of  this  is  another  half  million.  The  fraternal 
.order  is  also  the  stockholder.     It  elects  the  board  of 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  173 

directors.  These  in  turn  elect  a  first  class  manager 
and  pay  him  a  salary.  He  proceeds  to  deal  with  the 
townsite  company  and  purchase  a  site  for  his  mill  of 
that  company." 

' 'Isn't  that  foolish !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Locksley. 
"Why  not  have  one  company  do  it  all?" 

"That's  just  where  all  those  co-operative  associa- 
tions which  tried  to  do  business  failed!"  exclaimed 
Helen  patiently.  "Business  methods  are  an  evolution. 
The  main  thing  in  business  is  system.  That  system 
is  most  valuable  which  inspires  the  superintendent  or 
manager  with  the  greatest  sense  of  responsibility.  The 
townsite  company  could  keep  good  records  of  its  trans- 
actions and  feel  proud  to  show  a  better  record  in  mak- 
ing profits  than  the  sawmill  company.  Each  would  vie 
with  the  other.  Even  Mr.  Rockegeller  had  hundreds 
of  different  corporations.  He  merged  them  into  one, 
where  it  was  plain  an  advantage  could  be  gained.  But 
for  the  convenience  of  bookkeeping  hundreds  of  corpor- 
ations were  not  merged. 

"I  would  have  the  fraternal  order  organize  a  shoe 
factory  under  the  control  of  a  separate  corporation. 
This  factory  would  also  purchase  a  site  from  the  town- 
site  company.  Perhaps  the  townsite  company  would 
find  it  convenient  to  make  a  donation  of  a  site,  but  as  a 
rule  I  believe  it  would  be  best  not  to.  With  a  townsite 
company  employing  five  hundred  carpenters,  masons, 
laborers  and  others  in  constructing  the  necessary 
buildings,  such  as  houses,  stores,  factories  and  ware- 
houses, also  streets,  parks  and  public  buildings,  that 
company  alone  would  make  a  city  of  twenty-five  hun- 
dred.    The  other  eight  companies  would  easily  em- 


174  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

ploy  five  hundred  each,  making  four  thousand  di- 
rectly dependent,  with  their  families,  on  the  several 
businesses  of  the  corporations.  That  would  justify 
a  calculation  that  all  the  workers  and  their  families 
would  number  twenty  two  thousand  persons.  Now 
the  land  has  been  covered  with  houses.  There  are 
valuable  buildings.  There  are  public  improvements, 
street  cars,  water  works,  gas  and  electric  plants  and 
everything  which  contributes  to  the  comfort  of  a  city 
of  that  size.  All  the  profits  belong  to  the  corporations. 
All  the  rent  goes  to  the  corporations.  All  the  interest 
goes  to  the  corporations.  All  the  increase  in  land  val- 
ues goes  to  the  corporations.  These  pay  dividends  to 
the  fraternal  order.  The  fraternal  order  scrutinizes, 
from  the  watch  tower  of  its  weekly  or  monthly  meetings, 
all  the  enterprises,  and  sees  that  a  proper  part  of  the  in- 
terest, rent  and  profits  is  distributed  among  its  mem- 
bers. When  it  comes  to  earning  wages  the  workmen 
may  not  be  on  equal  terms,  but  profits,  rent  and  inter- 
est are  divided  equally  among  the  partners — the  mem- 
bers of  the  order. 

"Such  a  city,  if  it  could  be  true  to  its  fraternal  pur- 
pose and  would  keep  to  beaten  tracks  of  business 
methods — changing  only  when  an  advantage  or  profit 
could  be  calculated — would  prove  a  greater  conquerer 
than  any  city  in  history.  But  it  could  well  afford  to 
open  its  doors  and  allow  all  to  become  members  whose 
morals  and  character  justified.  Fraternal  co-operation 
would  save  Colombia  as  it  might  have  saved  America. 
I  believe  Mr.  Rockefeller  never  cared  for  his  wealth, 
but  he  had  some  pride  in  the  success  of  his  plans  and 
pleasure  in  the  hope  that  his  children  would  be  equal 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  175 

to  their  trust.  Could  he  have  introduced  the  fraternal 
system  he  would  have  done  so.  But  the  time,  perhaps, 
was  not  ripe  until  he  had  demonstrated  the  possibili- 
ties of  combined  wealth." 

"They  thought  in  the  days  of  John  D.  Rockefeller 
that  the  negro  question  was  the  most  difficult  one  of 
that  age,"  remarked  Alden.  "How  would  you  have 
dealt  with  that  in  the  fraternal  system?" 

"Brotherly  love  is  the  only  solution  of  that  prob- 
lem now  and  was  the  only  solution  then.  If  men  will 
not  accept  the  fraternal  solution  they  must  and  will 
suffer.  In  an  economic  sense  the  negro's  muscle  is  as 
good  as  that  of  his  white  brother.  In  the  same  sense 
his  intellignce  is  as  acceptable  as  an  equal  degree  of 
intelligence  in  any  other  race.  It  is  only  necessary  to 
organize  on  a  fraternal  basis  and  adopt  the  best 
methods  of  economic  progression  known  to  man.  I 
have  no  doubt  that  if  that  race  would  organize  in  a  fra- 
ternal union  on  the  plan  which  I  have  suggested,  they 
would  speedily  outstrip  the  white  race  in  the  acqui- 
sition of  wealth  and  perhaps  of  intelligence.  Organize 
Christ's  plan  and  Caesar's  portion  will  dwindle  to  one 
man's  size." 

"But  you  would  not  admit  the  negro  to  your  fra- 
ternal society,  would  you?"  asked  Mrs.  Locksley. 

"Why  not?"  asked  Helen.  "If  the  negro  is  useful 
he  should  be  treated  as  he  deserves.  But  if  the  time  is 
not  ripe  for  fraternal  association  it  may  be 
that  the  races  will  form  their  separate  local  lodges  and 
have  representatives  only  in  the  grand  lodge.  Race 
prejudice  is  not  possible  in  the  atmosphere  of  true 
brotherly  love." 


176  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

"What!  would  you  have  the  negro  and  the  white 
man  live  together — their  children  marry  and  all  mingle 
in  the  same  society?"  demanded  Mrs.  Locksley. 

"No  indeed!  I  do  not  propose  that.  It  is  not 
necessary.  Human  society  will  still  continue  to  be 
regulated  by  the  customs  and  the  common  sense  of 
ages.  We  do  not  propose  to  change  society  any  more 
than  we  propose  to  change  nature.  It  is  only  intended 
to  infuse  brotherly  love  into  the  economic  system,  and 
by  so  doing  take  from  society  the  danger  of  faulty  dis- 
tribution of  the  necessaries  and  comforts  of  life.  In 
other  words — to  dispose  of  the  three  evils,  rent,  interest 
and  profits,  so  that  they  will  not  oppress  the  white  man 
or  the  black  man  or  the  brown  or  the  yellow  man.  The 
negro  question  will  be  no  question  at  all  if  the  negro  is 
not  a  menace,  and  he  will  not  be  a  menace  if  he  is  re- 
quired by  the  force  of  a  just  and  powerful  society  to 
work  for  himself  as  well  as  for  the  common  good.  In 
other  words  economic  equality  secured  through  frater- 
nal union,  will  be  an  application  of  Christ's  remedy- 
brotherly  love.  You  know  the  Standard  Oil  Company 
never  asked  whether  a  man  was  black  or  white  but 
paid  the  same  dividends  on  every  share." 

The  ship  sped  on  across  the  sea  and  Helen,  Alden 
and  Mrs.  Locksley  spent  the  hours  in  conversation  or  in 
such  diversions  as  have  always  been  employed  by 
voyagers  to  vary  the  monotony  of  the  sea.  They  did 
not,  however,  discuss  questions  as  profound  as  that 
which  engaged  them  that  morning.  General  Jamieson 
was  a  prisoner  aboard  the  ship  which  left  Cartagena 
harbor  just  before  the  Arrow.  Helen,  now  that  she 
was  again  with  her  friends  and  released  from  captivity, 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  177 

felt  none  of  the  resentment  which  had  filled  her  heart 
in  captivity,  and  her  defense  of  General  Jamieson, 
while  it  astonished  both  Alden  and  Mrs.  Locksley,  al- 
most persuaded  them  to  forgive  him  also. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
THE  CALL  OF  THE  ESTATE. 

Some  three  months  had  passed  since  the  Arrow 
arrived  in  Boston  harbor.  President  Adams  had  been, 
much  to  his  sorrow,  prevented  by  his  multitudinous 
duties  as  executive  and  executor  from  being  present 
on  that  gala  occasion.  Secretary  Endicott  had  per- 
sonally represented  him,  as  chief  magistrate,  at  the  re- 
ception, which  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  ever  seen 
in  America.  His  Excellency  had  read  the  reports  in 
the  newspaper  press  and  had  heard  from  Endicott  that 
Helen  had  completely  captured  the  hearts  of  all  classes. 

"It  was  wonderful!"  declared  Endicott.  "No 
queen  of  antiquity,  whether  Elizabeth,  Victoria  or 
Wilhelmina  was  ever  so  admired.  Helen  Channing 
was  close  to  the  hearts  of  the  people." 

The  President  was  pleased.  Somehow  he  felt 
that  this  occasion  was  providential.  He  was  at  a  loss 
to  determine  just  how  to  turn  it  to  account.  The 
strain  upon  him,  acting  as  political  and  economic  head 
of  the  nation,  had  been  terrible.  He  was  mentally  and 
physically  ill.  He  could  not  think.  He  could  find 
none  to  help  him  bear  the  overwhelming  burden.  In 
vain  had  he  consulted  the  members  of  his  political 
cabinet.  Each,  in  turn,  had  declared  his  inability  to 
serve  except  within  the  narrow  limits  of  constitutional 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  179 

authority.  The  political  and  economic  systems  were 
useless  to  each  other  in  their  present  forms.  They 
would  not  mingle.  They  would  not  embrace.  They 
would  not  aid  each  other.  Sometimes  His  Excellency 
felt  that  he  would  go  insane.  Wherever  he  went  the 
populace  rent  the  air  with  their  plaudits.  They  pro- 
nounced him  the  greatest  man  who  had  ever  lived. 
Personally,  it  grieved  him  to  occupy  so  large  a  place. 
Knowing  how  great  his  problem  was  and  how  far  from 
solution,  he  believed  he  dwelt  on  the  summit  of  a  slum- 
bering volcano.  He  slept  little  and  had  no  appetite. 
People  remarked  his  shrunken  form  and  said  "he  is 
growing  old." 

"Miss  Channing  is  a  beautiful  and  accomplished 
young  woman,"  said  Endicott.  "She  has  all  the 
majesty  of  a  queen,  and  I  believe  the  people  would  be 
delighted  if  the  estate  of  Morgan  Rockefeller  could  be 
restored  to  her." 

"I  wish  it  could  be,  Endicott."  The  President 
looked  up  with  an  expression  of  hope  in  his  eyes.  "I 
wish  it  could  be!"  he  repeated  with  a  sigh.  The  Secre- 
tary gazed  upon  his  chief  with  profound  sympathy. 
Endicott,  although  cynical  and  apparently  cold  in  his 
dealings  with  all  men,  appreciated  the  difficulties 
which  beset  the  path  of  this  man  upon  whom  the  world's 
burdens  had  truly  fallen.  He  was  unable  to  lighten 
those  burdens  by  any  suggestion  which  he  regarded 
as  practical.  But  a  thought  had  been  running  through 
his  mind  since  his  visit  to  Boston,  and  he  had  deter- 
mined to  develop  it  in  the  mind  of  the  President. 

"I  have  never  seen  vast  crowds  so  unanimous  in 
their  idolatry  of  man  or  woman  as  those  which  gathered 


180  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

in  and  crowded  the  streets  and  public  places  along  the 
line  of  march  when  Miss  Helen  and  her  party  were  es- 
corted to  the  state  house  where  the  reception  was  held. 
They  came  from  everywhere,  from  Illinois  as  well  as 
from  all  parts  of  New  England.  The  capacity  of 
Standard's  vast  hostelries  was  taxed  to  the  utmost. 
Did  you  ever  reflect,  Mr.  President,  that  humanity 
will,  like  individual  men,  do  anything  for  the  woman 
they  love?  Did  you  ever  know  the  people  to  depose  a 
queen  who  ruled  in  her  own  right?  Marie  Antoinette 
was  never  beloved  by  the  French.  But  Maria  Theresa 
of  Austria,  Elizabeth  and  Victoria  of  England,  Wilhel- 
mina  and  all  others  who  have  reigned  alone,  were  per- 
fectly safe  from  popular  violence.  The  voice  of  dis- 
content was  silent  in  a  world  of  chivalric  affection.  A 
woman  could  enslave  a  world  where  force  would  meet 
its  most  obstinate  resistance." 

"But  you  do  not  believe  I  could  permit  this  nation 
to  be  enslaved,  whether  by  a  beautiful  woman  or  a  male 
genius  on  horseback!" 

"0,  No!"  The  Secretary  smiled  cynically.  "Not 
that,  Mr.  President.  We  do  not  wish  to  surrender  our 
liberties,  though  to  tell  you  truly,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  de- 
fine what  our  liberties  are.  Like  our  ancestors,  we  still 
cheer  the  old  flag.  We  celebrate  on  the  fourth  of  July. 
We  glorify  the  deeds  of  our  history  and  our  heroes. 
But  we  do  what  we  must  to  get  enough  to  eat  and 
drink  and  keep  our  positions.  We  could  not  have  less 
if  this  beautiful  and  accomplished  woman  owned  the 
system." 

"Impossible!  Impossible!"  declared  the  President. 
"In  spite  of  all  you  say  the  people  are  really  restless  and 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  181 

dissatisfied.  The  old  Socialist  party  has  been  revived 
and  is  gaining  strength  rapidly.  They  want  to  change 
the  constitution  in  order  to  have  the  government  fitted 
for  commercial  and  industrial  enterprise.  This 
would  require  an  absolute  transformation  of  the 
system  provided  by  the  forefathers.  You  know  as 
well  as  I  do — and  history  teaches  plainly — that  such 
radical  changes  will  unsettle  conditions  and  upset 
society.     The  result — revolution,  anarchy  and  chaos." 

The  Secretary  eyed  the  President  triumphantly. 
The  latter  did  not  observe  it,  however,  but  if  one  could 
have  seen  it  the  Secretary's  expression  indicated,  not 
only  triumph,  but  aggiession.  He  raised  his  clenched 
fist  and  brought  it  down  on  the  table  in  front  of  him 
with  such  force  as  to  nearly  upset  it. 

"You  are  right!"  he  exclaimed.  "You  must  act 
at  once  if  you  would  save  your  country,  Mr.  President. 
You  are  overborne  by  responsibilities  which  no  man 
should  assume.  They  will  kill  you  if  you  do  not  place 
them  on  shoulders  where  they  will  rest  less  heavily. 
So  complicated  is  the  plan  to  blend  the  political  and 
economic,  that  no  one  will  risk  his  reputation  in  trying 
to  help  you.  But  if  the  economic  system  can  be  turned 
over  to  Rockefeller's  heir,  a  thousand  strong  minds 
will  spring  to  her  assistance  and  a  chivalric  nation  will 
sustain  and  encourage  them." 

The  President,  startled  by  the  energetic  words  and 
action  of  his  adviser,  sat  upright  and  the  old  fire 
sprang  to  his  eyes.  He  grasped  Endicott's  hand  as  it 
rested  where  it  had  descended. 

"Right!"  he  said.  "You  are  right.  It  must  be 
done.     We  have  gone  through  the  farce  of  offering  this 


182  MORGAN    ROCKEFELLER'S    WILL 

vast  estate  for  sale.  We  all  know  that  no  syndicate 
could  be  formed  powerful  enough  to  purchase  it.  The 
estate  alone  has  the  money  to  buy.  The  property  can 
not  be  administered  as  a  government.  Everybody 
who  has  an  idea  wants  to  interfere.  The  situation  is 
intolerable.  Even  now  it  seems  probable  that  we  will 
shortly  be  compelled  to  suppress  certain  radical  ele- 
ments by  force.  Miss  Helen  is,  however,  for  some  rea- 
son averse  to  coming  to  St.  Louis." 

"I  know  it,  Mr.  President,"  interrupted  Endicott. 
"But  that  is  because  she  is  anxious  to  prevent  the  pun- 
ishment of  Jamieson  who  is  to  be  tried  in  the  Federal 
courts  in  Boston.  Release  him,  Your  Excellency,  and 
she  will  come  to  St.  Louis  at  once." 

"But  I  cannot  release  him.  That  is  not  possible 
until  he  is  convicted.  Meantime  he  is  in  the  hands  of 
the  judiciary." 

"True,  but  if  you  will,  he  can  be  tried  quickly  and 
acquitted." 

"Impossible,  illogical  and  disastrous!  If  tried, 
no  jury  could  acquit.  If  convicted,  no  president  could 
pardon." 

The  two  sat  silent  and  thoughtful  for  a  time.  At 
last  the  Secretary,  his  face  lighting  up  with  hope,  sug- 
gested that  if  the  President  extended  an  invitation  to 
Miss  Helen  and  placed  it  on  the  ground  that  the  re- 
lease of  General  Jamieson  would  be  discussed,  the  true 
situation  and  its  difficulties  might  be  made  plain  to  her. 

"I  think  it  would  be  wise  to  entrust  your  message 
and  invitation  to  Alden  Lowell,"  he  continued.  "Mr. 
Lowell  has  been  of  great  service  in  more  ways  than  one 
and  her  gratitude  to  him  has  been  publicly  manifested." 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  183 

It  was  thus  arranged,  and  the  arrangement  was 
eminently  satisfactory  to  both  of  these  practical  men. 
They  felt  that  anyway  to  shift  the  crushing  re- 
sponsibility of  political  and  economic  mesalliance 
would  be  justified,  if  its  method  was  sustained  by  pre- 
cedent or  had  its  origin  in  well  tried  customs.  To  them 
it  seemed  clear  that  mankind  was  habituated  to  the  rule 
of  an  economic  superior,  for  they  had  never  been  free 
from  one,  and  for  more  than  eighty  years  had  been  at 
the  feet  of  a  remarkable  line  of  economic  masters  whose 
natural  and  legal  successor  was  or  ought  to  be  Helen 
Channing.  They  believed  that  the  world  was  ready 
to  submit  to  her  sway  and  while  it  was  inconceivable 
that  she  could  be  a  queen — yet,  it  was  proper  that  she 
should  exercise,  in  her  proprietary  capacity  and  char- 
acter, greater  power  than  queen,  empress  or  czarina. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
THE  ESTATE'S  ENVOY. 

Since  his  return  from  Colombia,  after  witnessing 
with  mingled  pleasure  and  despair,  the  universal  ova- 
tion and  adoration  extended  to  Helen  in  Boston,  Alden 
Lowell  had  been  an  honored  guest  of  the  President  at 
the  Castle  of  Montraven.  He  had  been  disappointed 
in  the  failure  of  the  mirage  reflector  to  search  behind 
the  walls  of  Medellin  and  it  was  his  desire  to  perfect 
his  invention  and  extend  its  scope  and  power.  Thus 
he  was  occupied  constantly  in  the  mirage  chamber  of 
the  Castle.  He  did  not  realize  that  he  had  become  a 
hero  of  international  reputation  and  that  his  exploit 
in  Colombia  was  famous  the  world  over.  He  was 
quite  oblivious  of  the  fact  that  his  scientific 
fame  had  placed  him  in  the  gallery  of  earth's  greatest 
benefactors.  He  was  conscious  of  a  great  and  absorb- 
ing love  for  the  lady  whose  station  was,  he  believed, 
far  above  his,  and  also  of  a  great  desire  to  impress  her 
with  a  worthiness  which  he  feared  he  would  never  pos- 
sess. 

He  was,  however,  delighted  to  be  intrusted  with 
the  President's  message.  For  three  months  he  had 
not  seen  the  face  of  the  adored  one.  Letters  came 
irom  her  and  he  wrote  her  in  return,  but  the  lady's 
were  mostly  about  the  Reapers  of  the  World,  and  he 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  185 

answered  very  respectfully.  To  read  this  correspond- 
ence one  would  never  suspect  the  presence  of  the  ten- 
der  passion.     That   very   morning   she   had  written: 

"Dear  Mr.  Lowell: 

The  Reapers  are  becoming  quite  numerous.  We 
have  over  twenty  thousand  in  the  United  States  now. 
I  have  a  plan  and  if  ever  I  see  you  again,  I  want  to  talk 
it  over  with  you.  You  might  think  of  it  in  the  mean- 
time and  perhaps  you  will  be  better  able  to  advise  me 
when  we  meet.  My  plan  is  to  buy  the  Rockefeller  es- 
tate. It  is  valued  at  only  three  hundred  billion  dol- 
lars and,  you  know,  gold  is  money  and  gold  can  be 
used  to  buy  it. 

"I  am  very  weary  of  all  the  attention  of  society.  It 
is  nothing  to  me.  I  do  not  believe  I  am  a  social  being. 
My  early  ancestors,  the  Rockefellers,  were  not  strictly 
social.  Of  course  John  D.  Rockefeller  had  a  rather 
homely  way  of  attending  church  and  treating  the  mem- 
bers with  informal  cordiality.  But  his  controlling 
characteristic  was  his  genius  and  passion  for  organiz- 
ing. I  have  the  same  passion.  Only  there  is  this 
difference.  He  wanted  to  organize  and  systematize 
for  the  sake  of  acquiring  dollars  and  power.  I  wanted 
to  organize  for  the  sake  of  compelling  people  to  take 
their  own  dollars  and  wield  their  own  power.  But 
John  D.  Rockefeller,  in  his  day,  did  just  what  all  the 
world  wanted  to  do,  and  I  have  no  doubt  what  he  did 
then  was  the  best  that  could  be  done. 

''You  must  write  me,  Mr.  Lowell.  I  shall  always 
appreciate  your  devotion  to  your  friend  and  your  he- 
roic act  in  coming  to   Colombia  to  rescue  me.     Of 


186  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

course  you  were  in  duty  bound,  as  a  Reaper  of  the  World, 
to  rescue  your  Chief,  but  nobody  could  do  it  as 
well  as  you  could. 

I  am,  Fraternally  Yours, 

Helen  Channing." 

Alden  read  this  letter  many  times.  Cold  and  mat- 
ter of  fact  as  it  seemed,  the  hand  writing  was  her  own, 
and  to  him,  was  full  of  vivid  pictures  of  youth  and 
beauty,  not  to  say  love.  He  had  answered  immediately, 
for  Alden  was  no  '  'laggard  in  love"  or  at  least  would 
not  have  been  one,  if  the  wall  of  wealth  had  not  been 
so  grim  and  forbidding  between  him  and  the  object  of 
his  affection.  Habit,  education  and  the  world's  thought 
had  invested  money  with  a  divinity  which  seemed  to 
stand  like  a  flaming  sword  at  the  gateway  barring  his 
entrance  to  happiness. 

It  was  sometime  before  Alden  understood  the  let- 
ter which  his  beloved  one  had  sent  him.  After  a  while 
he  recovered  from  the  delight  which  her  familiar  hand 
writing  afforded  and  read  her  sentences  with  some 
thought  as  to  her  meaning.  "My  plan  is  to  buy  the 
Rockefeller  estate."  He  read  it  again  and  again. 
"Buy  the  Rockefeller  estate!  Three  hundred  billion 
dollars!  Dear  me!"  he  thought — "what  a  wonderful 
girl  she  is!  But  what  magic  is  she  dreaming  of  now?" 

While  he  was  engaged  in  such  thoughts,  the  sum- 
mons came  from  the  executive  mansion  and  the  lover 
lost  no  time  on  his  return  to  his  apartments  in  Mont- 
raven  Castle  in  donning  his  seven  league  boots,  so  to 
speak,  and  striding  toward  Boston. 

Six  hours  later  he  landed  at  the  great  South  Sta- 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  187 

tion  and  was  soon  at  the  Boston  Standard,  home  of  the 
elite  of  New  England  society.  The  hour  was  late,  but 
so  important  a  person  as  the  presidential  envoy  was 
speedily  accommodated  with  suitable  quarters  and 
retired  to  dream  of  the  sunshine  which  the  next  day 
would  bring. 

As  for  Helen,  she  had  left  the  Watertown  Standard 
and  was  now  living  in  semi-regal  splendor,  because  she 
could  not  help  it.  The  world  would  have  it  that  way. 
All  New  England  came  to  Watertown  to  meet  the  heir  of 
the  Rockefellers.  The  little  hotel  which  was  Helen's 
home  before  recent  events  had  placed  her  on  the  pin- 
nacle of  fame,  was  not  sufficient  to  enable  her  to  do  the 
honors  of  the  least  of  those  "occasions"  which  pressed 
into  her  life.  Isolation  was  out  of  the  question.  In 
order  to  escape  the  multitude  and  find  time  to  do  her 
chosen  work,  she  must  surround  herself  with  a  wall  of 
pomp  and  ceremony  through  which  only  the  chosen 
few  could  penetrate.  This  was  alien  to  her  nature.  She 
resisted  it  as  being  opposed  to  principle  until  it  became 
evident  that  her  life  would  be  squandered  and  wasted  if 
she  did  not  obtain  protection.  So  she  submitted  to  the 
importunity  of  both  old  and  new  friends  and  reluctantly 
abandoned  the  simple  life. 

She  was,  as  may  well  be  suspected  from  what  is 
known  of  her  previous  life,  the  child  of  her  inherited 
genius  for  organization.  The  fraternal  idea  which  was 
embodied  in  the  organization  of  the  Reapers  of  the 
World  was  her  life  and  conscience,  but  her  spiritual 
nature  dominated  it  all.  She  believed  that,  if  the  fra- 
ternal idea  could  be  introduced  into  material  systems, 
the  world  would  have  time  and  opportunity  to  study 


188  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

and  become  accquainted  with  the  religious  thought 
of  men  and  the  spiritual  power  of  God.  She  had  come 
to  believe  that  Alden  Lowell  was  important  to  her 
work,  but  in  her  respect  for  his  powers  and  gratitude 
which  she  felt  for  his  services  to  her,  she  had  thought 
only  of  his  value  to  her  cause,  and  not  his  relation  to 
her  personally.  She  was  capable  of  vast  love — so  vast 
that  she  could  make  any  sacrifice  for  it,  even  the  sac- 
rifice of  life  or  the  lives  of  those  dearest  to  her.  Does 
such  a  character  make  martyrs  rather  than  heroes? 
Did  she  love  Alden?  She  had  never  asked  herself  that 
question.  She  knew  that  she  enjoyed  greater  peace, 
more  complete  rest  in  his  society  than  in  that  of  any 
living  person. 

When  therefore,  she  learned  next  morning  that 
Alden  was  in  Boston,  she  was  impatient  until  he  ap- 
peared at  the  apartments  occupied  by  her  and  Mrs. 
Locksley.  How  delightful  it  was  to  have  him  back 
again.  How  pleasant  to  put  aside  all  cares  and  cancel 
all  appointments  that  she  might  entertain  him.  Social 
engagements  were  rarely  broken  by  this  young 
lady — engagements  involving  her  fraternal  work  were 
never  broken.  But  now  society  must  wait — and  the 
all  important  and  sufficient  reason  was — the  arrival  of 
the  President's  envoy. 

The  mission  of  the  President's  envoy  was  one 
which  he  regarded  as  delicate.  It  was  not  until  late  in 
the  afternoon  that  he  ventured  to  approach  it  at  all. 
They  were  speeding  along  the  great  highway  which 
extended  through  Salem,  Gloucester  and  Rockport, 
recalling,  in  view  of  the  rocky  cliffs  and  the  ocean,  the 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  189 

events  which  recently  formed  so  stirring  a  part  in  the 
history  of  their  lives. 

"When  will  Jamieson's  trial  take  place?"  incident- 
ally asked  Alden. 

Helen  turned  upon  him  a  look  of  reproachful  sur- 
prise. 

"Did  you  not  read  the  papers  this  morning?"  she 
asked. 

"Miss  Channing,"  he  said,  "do  you  think  I  would 
waste  time  reading  papers  in  Boston?" 

"I  did  not  know  you  were  prejudiced  against  your 
native  city!"  She  looked  at  him  playfully,  but  immedi- 
ately her  expression  changed  to  one  of  sadness. 

"I  understand."  she  continued.  "Of  course  you 
have  had  little  time  to  read.  But  if  you  had  read  the 
papers,  you  would  have  seen  that  General  Jamieson 
died  last  night  in  the  federal  prison  at  Charlestown." 

"Died!"  exclaimed  Alden  in  surprise  and  almost 
with  a  note  of  exultation  in  his  voice.  "Died!  Can  it 
be  possible  that  the  old  rebel  and  professional  revolu- 
tionist is  dead!" 

"Mr.  Lowell,"  she  said  sadly,  turning  and  looking 
him  full  in  the  face,  "you  are  glad  that  this  old  man 
is  dead,  and  you  feel  that  he  deserved  punishment  for 
his  acts  toward  me  and  toward  Rockefeller's  regime. 
For  my  part,  I  have  read  history  and  I  am  sure  that 
General  Jamieson  was  what  may  be  called  one  of  the 
best  types  of  the  'old  school' — the  sort  of  a  man,  gen- 
tleman and  leader  who  was  not  only  admired  in  the 
days  when  John  D.  Rockefeller  was  hated,  but  who  was 
imitated  and  whose  example  furnished  an  inspiration  to 
the  youth  of  that  period.     Is  it  not  true,  as  Macauley 


190  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

says  in  substance,  that  we  change  our  customs  with 
our  fashions  and  wonder  why  our  ancestors  were  so 
wicked?  Today  the  type  of  Rockefeller  is  admired 
and  the  heroic  figures  of  nineteenth  century  gentlemen 
move  through  the  corridors  of  the  twentieth  century 
like  so  many  barbarians.  The  grandest  note  of  har- 
mony in  one  song  becomes  a  note  of  discord  if  intro- 
duced into  another." 

Alden  felt  embarrassed.  If  the  nature  of  man 
could  divest  itself  of  its  reverence  for  artificial  things, 
such  as  wealth;  for  delusive  things,  such  as  birth 
and  for  sentimental  things,  such  as  fame,  he  would 
probably  have  made  a  jest  of  her  philosophy.  But  he 
was  inclined  to  take  it  seriously.  It  occurred  to  him, 
after  a  while,  that  the  death  of  Jamieson  had  removed 
an  obstacle  in  the  way  of  Helen's  visit  to  St.  Louis. 
He  recovered  his  courage  and  made  bold  to  explain 
the  object  of  his  mission. 

"Do  you  say  that  the  President  wishes  to  consider 
my  attitude  toward  poor  General  Jamieson's  trial?' ' 
she  asked.  'Then,  perhaps  the  general's  death  makes 
it  unnecessary  for  me  to  go  to  St.  Louis." 

Probably  the  worst  diplomat  in  the  world  is  a 
lover  who  doesn't  know  whether  his  affection  is  recip- 
rocated. Alden  felt  again  that  he  had  blundered.  He 
could  only  say: 

"But  you  had  better  go  anyway." 

"Why?" 

"I  think  the  President  wants  to  see  you." 

"And  why?" 

"I  have  no  answer  except  that  everybody  does." 

"Why  doesn't  he  come  to  Boston  if  he  wants  to 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  191 

see  me?"  Helen  was  inclined  to  tease  her  friend.  Then 
she  changed  the  subject.  The  auto  car  in  which  they 
rode  suddenly  shot  out  upon  a  portion  of  the  highway 
which  overlooked  Massachusetts  Bay  near  Manchester 
by  the  Sea.  The  scene  which  burst  upon  their  view 
was  one  which  could  be  described  as  neither  bewilder- 
ingly  grand  nor  majestic,  but  fascinating,  restful  and 
harmonious.  The  islands  which  cluster  beyond  the 
shore  and  dot  the  shining  blue  with  green  and  black, 
the  myriad  boats  which  flit  an  I  fly  along  and  above  the 
dimpled  surface  of  the  deep,  the  rugged  cliffs  whose 
summits  were  decked  with  many  a  summer  hotel  for 
Standard's  happy  employes,  and  the  jutting  promon- 
tories where  cities  reared  the  glistening  spires  of 
churches — presented  a  picture  which  captured  and 
held  the  fancy  spellbound.  For  a  space  the  road  ran 
in  full  view  of  this  beautiful  scene,  and  both  Alden  and 
Helen  gazed  upon  it  silently  and  with  a  feeling  of  deep 
enjoyment.     What  a  feast  for  two  loving  souls. 

Helen  broke  the  silence  first. 

"I  will  go  to  St.  Louis,  Mr.  Lowell;  I  will  see  the 
President.  I  really  think  he  needs  me  more  than  I 
need  him." 

Alden  was  startled.  In  his  happiness  to  be  near 
this  delightful  being,  he  had,  for  the  moment,  forgotten 
that  he  was  really  there  as  an  envoy.  He  had  forgotten 
his  embarrassment  of  a  few  minutes  before  and  had 
ceased  to  think.  Now  he  was  brought  back  to  earth 
by  the  sudden  success  of  his  mission.  If  the  skies  had 
opened  and  let  a  crown  fall  into  his  lap  without  notice 
he  could  not  have  been  more  surprised  or  better  pleased. 

"When  will  you  go?"  he  asked. 

"Tomorrow,"  she  answered. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 
THE  SNARE  OF  CIRCUMSTANCES. 

St.  Louis,  like  Boston,  was  chivalric  and  faithful. 
The  newspapers  of  the  city  had  given  the  inhabitants, 
on  the  morning  after  Alden  announced  to  the  President 
the  acceptance  of  his  invitation,  the  news  that  Miss 
Helen  Channing,  heir  of  all  the  Rockefellers,  would 
arrive  on  the  morning  train  from  the  East.  The  same 
papers  announced  that  in  honor  of  the  event,  Mr. 
Adams,  as  executor  of  the  Rockefeller  will,  had  declared 
a  holiday  and  that  all  factories  and  shops  should  be 
closed  without  loss  of  wages. 

Although  the  train  was  not  due  until  ten  in  the 
morning  the  people  began  to  gather  around  the  depot 
two  hours  in  advance,  and  long  before  it  arrived  every 
street,  window  and  roof  in  the  vicinity  was  filled  with 
eager  and  crushing  crowds.  It  was  with  difficulty  that 
way  was  made  for  the  auto  occupied  by  the  President 
and  Mrs.  Adams,  who  came  in  person  to  meet  their  dis- 
tinguished and  all  but  royal  guest.  The  people  were 
devoted  to  their  great  chief  magistrate  and  as  his  equip- 
age slowly  made  its  way  through  their  midst,  they 
cheered  him  with  evidence  of  enthusiasm  and  appreci- 
ation. But  the  people  shared  with  the  President  a 
disposition  to  recognize  an  economic  superior  and  in 
addition  to  this,  felt  an  unrestrained  curiosity  to  see  the 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  193 

original  of  those  portraits  which  had  everywhere  pic- 
tured a  face  and  form  of  marvelous  feminine  beauty. 

When  the  train  arrived,  which  it  did  almost  im- 
mediately after  the  President's  auto  took  its  place  at 
the  platform,  a  deep  silence  fell  upon  the  vast  crowd. 
It  was  the  hush  of  expectancy,  such  as  might  precede 
the  rendition  of  a  judgment  or  the  performance  of  some 
great  and  difficult  feat.  All  eyes  and  ears  became  in- 
tent on  the  developments  around  the  station.  Police 
officers  cleared  the  platform  and  made  way  for  His 
Excellency  and  the  First  Lady  of  the  Land(  politically) 
as  they  proceeded  into  the  station. 

It  was  not  long — probably  less  than  five  minutes, 
although  to  the  crowd  it  seemed  longer — before  the 
President  and  Miss  Helen,  followed  by  Mrs.  Adams  and 
Alden,  appeared  at  the  door.  At  the  same  instant  the 
band  played  and  the  crowd  pushed  forward  anxious,  to 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the.  guest  of  honor.  A  second  later 
and  the  verdict  was  rendered.  Helen  never  appeared 
to  better  advantage.  Her  face  was  spiritual  and  ex- 
pressive. Her  form,  tall,  erect  and  graceful,  draped 
in  the  simple  costume  for  which  she  had  become  noted, 
gave  no  evidence  of  pride.  The  world  gazing  at  her,  at 
that  moment  beheld  a  vision  of  purity  and  loveliness  and 
the  silence  of  inspection  was  in  a  moment  followed  by 
an  outburst  of  approval  which  moved  from  the  avenue 
through  which  she  passed  in  rapid  waves,  until  the  whole 
city  seemed  to  vibrate  with  joy.  Amid  these  unceas- 
ing plaudits  the  party  took  their  places  in  the  autos  and 
slowly  made  their  way  to  the  Executive  Mansion.  The 
President  was  especially  pleased.  He  conversed  with 
the  young  lady  at  his  side,  smiled  and  bowed  to  the 


194  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

beaming  multitude  and  seemed  delighted  at  the  re- 
ception which  his  guest  was  receiving. 

'The  capital  city  is  pleased,"  he  said,  addressing 
Miss  Channing,  "to  see  the  descendant  of  the  great 
house  of  Rockefeller — but  I  am  better  pleased  than 
they." 

"Your  Excellency  is  entitled  to  the  thanks  of  the 
House  of  Rockefeller,"  was  Helen's  reply. 

It  was  a  remarkable  day,  a  memorable  occasion. 
The  whole  city  after  that  continuous  morning  ovation 
went  mad  with  joy  and  the  President,  the  executor  and 
the  municipal  corporation  provided  all  manner  of 
sports  and  festivities  to  increase  the  general  delight. 
For  days  following,  the  society  of  the  capital,  led  with 
semi-royal  pomp  and  glitter  of  official  and  diplomatic 
pageantry,  revolved  around  the  dazzled  but  always 
self-poised  and  graceful  daughter  of  the  ruling  race. 
The  President  and  his  guest  were  often  together,  but 
the  occasion  which  the  former  sought,  the  psychologi- 
cal moment  which  his  mind  and  heart  yearned  to  em- 
brace, seemed  far  off 

Helen  felt  herself,  so  to  speak,  in  the  snare  of 
circumstances.  She  realized  that  though  a  guest  in 
the  house  of  power,  she  was  being  treated  more  as  if  she 
were  its  royal  mistress.  Waiting  ladies,  refined,  cul- 
tured and  elegant  attended  to  her  wants  and  her 
lightest  wish  was  accepted  as  a  command.  The 
"First  Lady  of  the  Land"  (politically),  the  punctilious 
and  ceremonious,  but  intellectual  and  sympathetic 
Mrs.  Adams,  and  her  distinguished  husband  approached 
with  great  formality.  Do  what  she  would  to  restore 
social  equality  between  herself  and  those  around  her 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  195 

—all  persisted  in  acting  as  if  she  was  of  different  clay, 
of  purer  mould.  A  system  of  etiquette,  which  she  had 
no  power  to  control  or  check,  developed,  so  that  in  a 
few  days  after  she  arrived,  she  felt  as  if  she  were  chained 
to  a  throne.  The  court  of  Helen  had  come  into  her 
life  as  inexplicably,  unexpectedly  and  as  unbidden  as  a 
dream.  At  first  she  protested — but  her  protests  were 
ignored  as  completely  as  if  unheard.  At  last  she  re- 
alized that  all  were  implicated  in  a  conspiracy  to  honor 
her  beyond  what  she  believed  her  right  an  finding 
how  futile  her  objections  and  protests  were,  she  ac- 
cepted the  situation  and  acted  the  queen  as  grandly 
as  she  looked  it.  If  she  expressed  a  wish  to  ride,  a 
magnificent  automobile  with  a  chaff eur  and  attendants 
in  gorgeous  livery  received  her  at  the  door  and  with 
a  lady  in  waiting  who  sought  to  interest  and  entertain 
her,  she  was  whirled  through  the  beautiful  streets  and 
picturesque  parks  of  St.  Louis.  Mrs.  Adams  fre- 
quently accompanied  her  on  those  delightful  spins, 
but  always  and  everywhere  the  highest  and  the  lowest 
treated  her  either  with  profound  deference  or  with 
distant  but  enthusiastic  devotion. 

One  day  the  President  called  and  when  the  at- 
tendants had  by  command  of  Helen  retired,  she  ex- 
pressed her  mind  quite  plainly. 

"Mr.  President/'  she  said,  "I  am  distressed  be- 
cause of  the  mystery  by  which  I  am  surrounded.  All 
the  people  whom  you  have  caused  to  attend  me  treat 
me,  not  as  a  guest,  but  as  a  mistress,  and  more  like 
what  I  suppose  to  be  the  treatment  accorded  a  royal 
person.     It  is  not  pleasing  to  me." 

"I    hope,    Miss    Helen,"    replied    the    President, 


196  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

standing  before  her  and  bowing  low,  "that  you  will 
accustom  yourself  to  the  situation  in  which  your  lin- 
eage and  fortune  place  you.  You  can  not  be  un- 
mindful of  the  fact  that  all  America  regards  you  as  its 
most  distinguished  citizen  or  that  the  peace  and  order 
of  society  depend  upon  you  for  their  preservation." 

"But  I  have  never  been  consulted  by  you  or  even 
taken  into  your  confidence  in  regard  to  these  matters, 
Mr.  President.  You  cause  me  to  be  placed  in  a  posi- 
tion before  the  people  which  I  neither  anticipated 
nor  hoped  for.  You  must  realize  that  the  people  will 
sooner  or  later  strike  down  the  sham  idol  which  you 
are  trying  to  lift  up  before  them." 

"You  are  much  mistaken,  Miss  Helen."  The 
President  still  remained  standing  although  Helen  had 
seated  herself  and  invited  him  to  do  the  same.  He 
looked  at  her  almost  triumphantly,  his  face  beaming 
with  satisfaction. 

"The  whole  world  is  today  urging  that  your 
rights  as  Morgan  Rockefeller's  heir  be  recognized 
and  that  the  estate  of  your  deceased  relative  be  re- 
stored to  the  family  of  which  you  are  the  only  living 
representative." 

Helen  had  for  several  days  suspected  that  the 
President  was  responsible  for  her  exaltation.  She 
did  not  resent  it,  but  being  only  a  mortal  after  all, 
began  to  feel  that  it  was  due  her.  Even  the  fraternal 
plan,  so  dear  to  her  in  the  years  gone  by,  seemed  to 
have  faded  a  little.  Like  one  borne  swiftly  and  safely 
on  the  bosom  of  a  rushing  stream,  dazzled  by  a  myr- 
iad of  lights  and  constantly  changing  scenes,  she  had 
little  time  for  other  thoughts  than  her  mysterious  and 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  197 

not  unpleasant  position.  The  world  was  beckoning  her 
and  bewildering  her  with  its  smiles.  Only  she  real- 
ized that  something  was  wanting  to  her  happiness. 
She  wondered  why  she  saw  no  more  of  Alden  Lowell. 
Sometimes  she  would  half  awaken  from  her  dreams  and 
feel  guilty  and  distressed  and  then  she  would  give  all 
the  world  of  whirling  visions,  if  she  could  but  see 
Alden  and  ask  and  receive  his  advice.  But  the  pomp 
and  ceremony  and  royal  visions  would  begin  again 
and  conscience  had  no  time  to  warn,  and  mind  had  no 
time  to  think.  Neither  did  the  heart  have  time  to 
love.  As  the  President  spoke,  reminding  her  of  her 
relation  to  the  great  Rockefeller's  life,  a  feeling  of 
pride  arose  in  her  soul.  It  must  have  found  distinct 
expression  in  her  beautiful  face — for  the  spiritual  look 
which  had  hitherto  distinguished  her  was  less  apparent 
and  its  heavenly  loveliness  gave  place  to  a  loveliness 
in  which  a  trace  of  the  hauteur  of  the  material  world 
appeared. 

The  keen  and  observant  statesman  before  her  had 
large  experience  in  reading  the  human  mind.  He 
saw  and  understood  the  expression  of  the  face  which 
meant  so  much  to  him.  Wise  and  skillful  in  the  man- 
agement of  any  incident  he  grew  wiser  and  more  skill- 
ful as  his  hopes  seemed  to  promise  success. 

"Miss  Helen,"  he  continued,  his  voice  and  man- 
ner full  of  compliment  and  admiration,  "in  the  great 
castle  of  Montraven  is  a  gallery  of  action  pictures  in 
which  you  should  feel  interested.  All  your  great  an- 
cestors are  there.  Wonderful  films  and  wonderful 
scenes  are  at  your  disposal.  Will  you  appoint  a  time 
to  accompany  me  there  and  you  shall  see  your  great 


198  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

ancestors  face  to  face.  You  may  also  see  the  faces 
of  many  others  who  have  helped  to  build  up  your 
illustrious  and  all-commanding  house." 

"Mr.  President,"  answered  Helen,  "I  thank  you. 
I  have  heard  of  this  gallery  and  am  anxious  to  see  it. 
I  will  accept  you  invitation  for  tomorrow  after  lunch 
if  it  will  suit  Your  Excellency's  convenience." 

The  President  withdrew  from  the  presence  of 
the  heiress  and  with  a  light  heart  returned  to  his  own 
apartments,  believing  that  no  possible  obstacle  would 
prevent  his  plans  from  being  successful. 


XXXVI. 

A  PLOT. 

President  Adams,  according  to  his  lights,  was  a 
patriot  above  all  things  else.  He  loved  his  country. 
It  may  well  be  doubted  if  he  loved  anything  else,  al- 
though he  was  devoted  to  the  lady  who  shared  with 
him  the  honors  of  the  White  House  in  a  most  exem- 
plary and  eminently  creditable  sense.  He  was  a  just 
man,  too,  and  believed  the  highest  mission  which  his 
country  could  serve,  was  to  administer  justice  with 
exactness  and  improve  the  instrumentalities  by  which 
wealth  is  produced  and  intelligence  is  increased.  As 
has  been  already  made  clear,  he  believed  in  the  Rock- 
efeller estate  as  the  foundation  of  his  country's  pros- 
perity and  was  determined  to  preserve  the  integrity 
of  that  estate  at  any  cost. 

He  believed  that  the  Rockefeller  system  of  pro- 
duction and  distribution  was  the  glory  of  the  age, 
and  that  political  government  was  charged  with  no 
higher  duty  than  that  of  marshaling  humanity,  for 
its  own  good,  to  husband  and  foster  the  economic  estate. 

Now  that  a  great  and  overtowering  occasion  had 
arisen  in  his  life,  the  President  had  not  the  least  scruple 
as  to  what  sacrifice  might  be  made  to  save  the  estate 
from  disintegration  and  destruction.  When  Helen 
arrived  in  St.   Louis  his  resolution  was  fixed.     She 


200  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

would  not  escape  him.  But  it  never  occurred  to  him 
that  she  would  wish  to  escape.  Still,  with  a  master 
hand  and  mind  he  lead  her  into  the  psychological  con- 
ditions which  he  created,  that  she  might  become  un- 
consciously habituated  to  her  manifest  destiny. 

One  thing  occurred  to  the  President  on  the  very 
day  of  her  arrival.  He  must  eliminate  Lowell  from  the 
problem  which  confronted  him.  Lowell  he  regarded 
as  exceedingly  deserving  and  he  Had  been  glad  to  find 
the  young  man  useful.  Indeed,  no  one  rejoiced  in 
Lowell's  celebrity  and  success  more  than  the  Presi- 
dent. Still  he  remembered  that  Lowell  was  deposed 
from  the  New  England  Furniture  Company  because 
of  some  heretical  notion  which  would  have  broken  a 
youth  of  less  family  distinction  and  he  was  suspicious 
of  the  young  man's  influence  on  that  account.  He 
could  not  be  trusted  so  near  the  throne  as  the  suscepti- 
ble heart  of  a  maiden  might  make  it  possible  for  him 
to  arrive.  The  President  therefore  determined  to 
send  Alden  away  and  Helen  had  not  been  in  the  Capi- 
tal more  than  ten  hours  before  the  ever-active  Chief 
Executive  summoned  him  to  his  office. 

Great  was  the  consternation  of  Alden  when  the 
President,  in  a  kindly  but  decisive  manner,  told  him 
that  he  had  been  selected  to  proceed  to  China  on  a 
mission  which  was  exceedingly  important  and  honor- 
able. Great  was  his  despair  when  he  learned  that  he 
was  expected  to  be  ready  o  depart  at  a  very  early 
hour  the  following  morning  In  those  days,  as  now, 
the  public  business  took  precedence  of  all  things  else, 
and  it  was  a  point  of  honor,  not  to  be  ignored  by  any 
one  who  entertained  the  pride  of  gentle  blood  and  hon- 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  201 

orable  position,  to  obey  implicitly  the  command  of 
either  the  political  or  the  economic  chief  of  the  repub- 
lic. 

The  President  observed  the  confusion  of  the  youth 
and  suspected  the  reason.  He  also  knew  that  Alden 
would  have  no  thought  of  resisting. 

"Your  Excellency  will  recall  that  I  have  just  re- 
turned from  a  mission  today,"  Alden  had  said,  his 
disappointment  finding  faint  expression.  "I  will,  how- 
ever, be  ready.  Still,  Your  Excellency,  if  I  take  the 
early  train,  I  will  not  be  able  to  say  farewell  to  those 
to  whom  that  courtesy  is  due." 

"You  will  prepare  at  once  to  go,"  said  the  Presi- 
dent, pretending  not  to  notice  the  distress  he  had 
caused.  "Your  instructions  are  being  prepared  and 
will  be  placed  in  your  hands  on  the  train.  You  will 
study  them  on  the  way.  And  now,  Alden,"  he  con- 
tinued, taking  the  latter's  hand,  "I  will  personally 
say  farewell  for  you  to  those  who  deserve  that  courtesy 
from  you  and  make  your  apologies  to  them." 

So  Alden  was  at  the  train  promptly  in  the  morn- 
ing and  received  his  instructions.  He  had  also  written 
a  note  to  Miss  Helen  which  it  is  just  as  well  the  reader 
should  know  now  never,  got  by  the  secretary,  whom 
the  President  had  provided  to  help  Helen  in  her  cor- 
respondence. 

The  next  day  President  Adams  was  in  consulta- 
tion with  Secretary  Endicott. 

"Endicott!"  said  he,  "Miss  Helen  is  all  you  have 
described  her  to  be.  I  think  I  may  say  that  she  has 
no  superior  in  all  that  constitutes  nobility  and  virtue." 


202  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

"Your  Excelency  is  pleased?"  asked  the  Secre- 
tary indifferently. 

"Endicott,"  exclaimed  the  President,  leaning  con- 
fidently toward  that  gentleman  and  touching  his 
shoulder  with  his  hand,  "she  should  be  married,  and 
her  great  estate  requires  that  her  consort  be  a  man  of 
affairs,  of  wide  experience,  of  education  and  distin- 
guished family." 

"Have  you  spoken  to  her  on  the  subject?"  asked 
the  Secretary  with  a  smile  of  amusement. 

"Not  yet,  Endicott,"  he  answered.  "I  have 
thought  it  best  to  find  a  suitable  person  to  recommend. 
When  we  have  found  such  a  person,  I  will  speak  to  her." 

The  Secretary  looked  at  his  chief  again,  this  time 
not  with  indifference,  but  with  a  smile  which  was  almost 
a  laugh. 

"Endicott,"  the  President  grew  more  confidential 
now,  and  his  own  face  seemed  to  reflect  the  unpleasant 
expressiveness  of  his  adviser.  "You  are  unmarried. 
You  have  experience  in  handling  affairs.  You  are  of 
a  distinguished  family." 

The  two  looked  at  each  other  in  silence  for  some 
seconds,  but  the  smile  faded  from  the  face  of  the 
younger.  He  scrutinized  the  chief  searchingly,  evi- 
dently with  an  effort  to  determine  whether  he  was  in 
earnest. 

"You  say  you  have  not  spoken  to  her  on  the  sub- 
ject, Mr.  President,"  he  said  at  last.  "Has  it  occurred 
to  you  that  she  may  have  some  wish  to  be  consulted?" 

"I  have  her  pretty  well  in  my  power.  I  expect 
her  to  act  wisely."  These  words  were  spoken  with 
some  decision. 


MORCxAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  203 

"Is  it  your  wisdom,  Your  Excellency,  or  her  wis- 
dom," asked  the  Secretary,  "which  you  expect  will 
control?  I  think  you  will  find  Miss  Helen  Channing 
a  pretty  worthy  descendant  of  her  distinguished  an- 
cestors and  I  have  never  read  of  one  of  that  family 
who  was  not  of  a  dominating  rather  than  a  submisssive 
factor  in  his  or  her  own  affairs." 

Endicott  was  thinking,  however.  He  certainly 
did  admire  Miss  Channing.  He  had  never  seen  a 
woman  whom  he  had  admired  so  much.  But  at 
thirty-eight  he  had  settled  into  the  life  of  a  bachelor 
and  believed  he  would  never  marry.  Until  the  Presi- 
dent suggested  it,  the  thought  of  an  alliance  with  Miss 
Channing  had  never  occurred  to  him. 

The  President's  suggestion  took  root  in  the  Sec- 
retary's mind.  He  was  in  no  sense  a  grasping  or  avari- 
cious man.  He  was  not  ambitious  for  power  other 
than  what  his  own  force  could  acquire.  The 
prospect  of  coming  into  the  possession  of  such  a  prop- 
erty and  being  allied  with  such  a  woman,  pleased  his 
fancy.  It  did  more  than  that.  It  interested  his  mind 
so  much  that  the  picture  of  a  feminine  face  of  striking 
beauty  and  fascination  was  continually  before  him. 
The  mind,  after  all,  is  not  far  from  the  heart.  Before 
Alden  Lowell  had  reached  his  destination  on  the  other 
side  of  the  world,  the  cold,  cynical  Endicott  had  dis- 
covered that  he,  too,  could  feel  as  well  as  think,  and  love 
as  well  as  judge.  He  continually  sought  Helen's 
society  when  he  could  find  leisure  from  the  duties  of 
his  position.  In  the  glare  and  glitter  of  the  social 
whirl  into  which  the  President  had  thrown  his  guest, 


204  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

Helen  was  pleased  with  the  attention  of  this  courtly  and 
handsome  man  and  received  it  as  a  natural  and  de- 
lightful accompaniment  of  her  novel  and  unsought 
glory. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
THE  HALL  OF  HISTORY. 

The  Hall  of  History  in  Montraven  Castle  was  one 
which  in  the  early  part  of  the  twentieth  century  would 
have  suggested  the  supernatural.  Since  the  days  of 
John  D.  Rockefeller,  Junior,  it  has  grown  in  import- 
ance until  it  is  the  chief  repository  of  those  films  which 
contain,  in  pictured  form,  the  spectacular  and  oral 
records  of  the  great  historical  scenes  and  events  of 
public  life; 

The  house  of  Rockefeller  is  there  represented,  in 
life-like  activity.  The  forms  and  faces  of  all  members 
of  the  national  family  are  in  the  films,  in  some  scenes 
of  national  importance. 

It  was  never  permissible  for  any  but  the  members 
of  the  immediate  family  to  enter  this  hall  of  history, 
except  by  special  invitation  and  only  the  most  favored 
and  trusted  servants  of  the  age  ever  received  such  an 
invitation  during  the  lives  of  Aldrich  Rockefeller  and 
his  successor,  the  great  Morgan.  Once  a  month,  in 
Aldrich's  and  Morgan's  time,  the  hall  was  open  to  all 
members  of  the  family  and  their  invited  guests  and 
such  films  were  represented  as  were  called  for,  or  if 
none  were  called  for  then  such  as  the  operators  arbi- 
trarily selected. 

The  day  after  the  President  suggested  the  visit  of 


206  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER  S  WILL. 

Helen  to  the  Hall,  the  Presidential  party,  consisting 
of  the  President  and  Mrs.  Adams,  their  illustrious 
guest  and  Secretary  Endicott,  arrived  in  state  at  the 
castle.  The  Democratic  crowds  which  greeted  Helen 
on  her  arrival  at  the  capital  city  were  not  in  evidence 
now.  'They  are  all  industriously  employed,"  the 
President  explained  to  her.  The  truth  was  that  every 
effort  was  being  made  by  the  government  to  maintain 
around  the  heiress  an  exclusiveness  which  was  not  to 
be  removed  except  on  great  occasions.  The  President 
was  becoming  a  past  master  in  the  exploitation  of  his 
plans  and  an  air  of  mystery  was  producing  a  proper 
reverence  for  the  young  lady  among  the  people.  But 
several  invited  guests  were  in  the  great  reception  room 
of  the  castle  where  they  awaited  anxiously  the  almost 
royal  party. 

As  a  descendant  of  the  house  of  Rockefeller, 
Helen  took  precedence  as  they  entered  the  Hall  of 
History,  and  she  was  with  great  ceremony  ushered  to 
her  place  of  observation. 

"I  have  taken  the  liberty,"  said  the  President, 
addressing  her  after  they  were  seated,  "to  direct  the 
operator  to  present  the  famous  film  in  which  Orlando, 
the  great  actor,  simulating  John  D.  Rockefeller,  the 
founder  of  your  branch  of  the  family,  delivers  his  fa- 
mous speech  against  competition." 

"I  thank  you,  Mr.  President,"  replied  Helen,  look- 
ing around  with  genuine  interest.  "I  believe  I  am 
more  deeply  interested  in  the  character  and  career  of 
the  founder  of  our  fortune,  than  in  all  his  successors." 

Helen  used  the  phrase  "our  fortune"  with  a  note 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  207 

of  pride  which  the  President  noticed  and  at  which  he 
smiled  with  evident  pleasure. 

The  operators  had  been  prepared  for  some  time  and 
were  in  readiness  to  proceed  when  the  Presidential 
party  gave  the  signal. 

The  scene  was  realistic  in  the  extreme.  The  sub- 
ject was  'The  Inquisition"  and  Mr  Rockefeller  sat  in 
the  so  called  witness  chair  in  a  celebrated  case  which 
was  tried  in  New  York  City,  in  the  year  1908.  The 
operator  explained  by  way  of  preface  that  the  incident 
presented  had  become  one  of  the  most  famous  in  his- 
tory. 

"Little  did  the  people  of  that  day  and  age,"  said 
he,  "suspect  the  importance  of  the  great  words  de- 
livered by  Mr.  John  D.  Rockefeller  when  subjected  to 
the  baiting  of  that  inquisition.  It  is  probable  that  he 
did  not  use  the  language  put  into  his  mouth  by  the 
exhibitor,  but  it  is  certain  that  the  thought  was  ex- 
pressed on  that  occasion  with  startling  effect.  Not 
until  years  after  was  their  full  force  recognized.  It  is 
to  be  regretted  that  Mr.  Rockefeller  failed  to  have 
these  scenes  preserved  in  original  films,  but  Orlando's 
splendid  reproductions  will  aid  us  to  understand  the 
situation." 

The  scene  presented  an  old  man — apparently 
approaching  seventy — seated  on  an  elevated  chair 
and  facing  a  group  of  men  whose  prejudices  glared 
fiercely  from  their  faces.  Their  questions  were  thun- 
dered at  the  man  of  giant  achievement  with  a  view  to 
eliciting  the  information  that  his  action  in  seeking  to 
destroy  competition  was  little  short  of  treason.  It 
was  a  perfect  representation.      The  strong,  determined 


208  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

and  yet  kindly  and  thoughtful  countenance  of  the 
''founder"  was  misconstrued  by  the  men  who  sought  to 
antagonize  him.  The  changing  color  of  the  disputants, 
their  attitudes  and  expressions  were  those  of  a  real 
scene. 

"Is  it  not  true,  Mr  Rockefeller,"  asked  the  keen 
and  persistent  Kellogg,  "that  the  Standard  Oil  Company 
has  always  endeavored  to  eliminate  and  suppress  com- 
petition in  the  field  of  oil  production  and  distribution?" 

Evidently,  the  crude  and  semi-civilized  court  and 
spectators  regarded  the  question  as  a  crucial  one.  Evi- 
dently, they  expected  the  witness  to  evade,  and  con- 
sidered that  not  to  evade  would  be  an  effrontery  which 
would  subject  him  to  the  contempt  of  mankind.  All 
eyes  were  riveted  upon  him  and  his  answer  was  awaited 
in  dramatic  silence. 

"The  Standard  Oil  Company  is  a  corporation  in 
the  nature  of  a  trust,"  declared  Mr.  Rockefeller,  slowly 
and  without  defiance  or  dramatic  affectation.  "You 
fail  to  appreciate  the  evolutionary  value  of  this  modern 
economic  invention  and  seem  to  think  that  the  great- 
est and  most  admirable  feature  of  the  economic  system 
is  competition.  I  say  to  you — and  coming  ages  will 
understand  me  if  you  do  not — that  both  war  and  com- 
petition are  wasteful  and  disastrous  to  humanity.  I 
say  to  you  that  war  and  competition  are  equally  selfish, 
equally  injurious,  equally  terrible.  Death  is  the  re- 
ward of  both  for  such  'is  the  wages  of  sin.'  Every 
business  which  preys  on  another  business  is  not  only 
assaulting  it,  but  is  destroying  those  engaged  in  it. 
War  is  a  brutal  hell.  Competition  in  the  business 
world  is  a  refined  but  a  thousand  times  more  cruel  hell 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  209 

than  war.  You  seek  to  keep  competition  alive  and  per- 
secute me  because  I  oppose  it.  I  say  to  you  that  the 
age  of  the  non-competitive  trust  has  just  begun,  and 
that  in  the  years  to  come,  this  instrumentality  of  the 
economic  system  will  move  successfully  hand  in  hand 
with  international  arbitration  to  establish  among  men 
the  peace  of  God,  and  the  justice  of  fair  distribution 
of  God's  bounties." 

"Splendid!  Splendid!"  exclaimed  Helen.  "John  D. 
Rockefeller  was  a  hero,  indeed.  How  calmly  he  ac- 
cepted the  situation  and  how  nobly  and  truthfully  he 
expressed  his  views.  I  have  seen  the  competitive 
world  in  Colombia.  It  is  a  world  of  confusion,  disaster, 
selfishness  and  death." 

"It  is  surprising  to  us  in  this  age  that  anybody 
should  seek  to  justify  either  competition  or  war,"  re- 
marked Secretary  Endicott,  in  recognition  of  Helen's 
comments.  "The  Inquisitor  in  those  days  was  a  hero 
—but  his  day  of  popularity  was  short.  Such  a  con- 
stant disturber  of  the  prevailing  current  of  business  as 
the  Inquisitor  could  not  be  tolerated  and  the  trusts 
assumed  undisputed  sway." 

"But  was  not  my  ancestor  assailed  by  another 
enemy?"  asked  Helen.  "I  think  I  recall  a  plan  devised 
by  a  Boston  man  to  defeat  the  system  of  the  Standard 
Oil  Company." 

"True,"  replied  the  President.  "That  was  Law- 
son's  remarkable  effort  to  organize  the  speculators  in  a 
great  movement  to  bear  and  buy  up  the  stocks  of  all 
corporations  controlled  in  Wall  Street.  Lawson  was 
a  very  resourceful  and  capable  man.  The  plan 
failed  because  it  did  not  introduce  a  principle  of  jus- 


210  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

tice,  but  merely  proposed  that  Lawson  and  his  suc- 
cessors should  be  substituted  for  Mr.  Rockefeller  and 
his  successors.  The  people  could  see  no  advantage  in 
the  substitution  and  would  not  waste  time  or  interrupt 
the  progress  of  development  by  aiding  in  so  fruitless 
a  revolution." 

The  films  which  followed  were  varied  and  interest- 
ing. John  D.  Rockefeller,  Jr.,  interested  Helen  much. 
He  was  a  man  whose  life  was  not  affected  by  the  sus- 
picions which  were  attached  to  the  actions  of  his  great 
father.  The  film  presented  showed  him  in  the  act  of 
delivering  his  famous  speech  wherein  he  illustrated  the 
necessity  of  making  many  sacrifices  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  greatest  good  by  instancing  the  American 
Beauty  rose  whose  singular  beauty  was  obtained  by 
leaving  it  on  the  bush  alone  to  bud  and  blossom  at  the 
expense  of  its  companion  buds.  At  the  time  when  this 
speech  was  delivered  it  was  widely  and  unfavorably 
commented  on  by  an  unappreciative  and  prejudiced 
public. 

Aldrich  Rockefelller  appeared  to  be  the  most  dra- 
matic figure  presented  by  the  films.  He  was  a  man  of 
splendid  attainments  and  rather  inclined  to  display. 
In  his  administration  of  the  Standard  the  contest  be- 
tween the  political  and  economic  powers  became  acute. 
But  in  truth  there  was  never  a  doubt  as  to  the  result. 
It  was  not  a  question  in  his  time,  indeed,  it  never  had 
been  a  question  in  the  history  of  the  republic,  what  the 
majority  wanted,  but  what  the  majority  was  willing  to 
tolerate.  Aldrich  found  means  to  have  majorities 
counted  in  favor  of  business  stability  and  the  business 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  211 

world  had  neither  money  nor  inclination  to  disturb  the 
count. 

When  the  party  left  the  Hall  of  History  that  after- 
noon, Helen  felt  that  these  remarkable  people,  men  and 
women  of  the  Rockefeller  family,  belonged  to  her.  Yet 
while  she  admired  the  great  Morgan  most  of  all,  a 
slight  resentment  arose  in  her  heart,  because  he  had  ig- 
nored her  during  his  life,  and  had  not  considered  her 
worthy  to  be  his  successor  in  the  control  of  the  estate. 
But  the  resentment  was  not  pronounced  and  she  did 
not  clearly  define  a  wish  to  assume  the  burdens  of 
wealth.  It  was  plain,  however,  that  she  was  growing 
into  her  station  and  President  Adams  announced  to 
Secretary  Endicott  that  evening  that  the  conditions 
were  ripe  for  the  institution  of  legal  proceedings  for  the 
transfer  of  the  estate  to  Miss  Channing  and  the  annul- 
ment of  the  devise  to  the  government,  on  the  ground  of 
the  government's  constitutional  incapacity  to  take  such 
a  devise  or  operate  such  a  business. 


XXXVIII. 
THE  TEMPTATION. 

Helen  retired  to  rest  that  night,  after  her  return 
from  the  Hall  of  History,  feeling  that  she  owed  a  duty 
to  her  ancestors. 

Precisely  what  that  duty  was,  she  did  not  try  to  de- 
termine. 

Neither  did  it  occur  to  her  that  during  all  her  life 
she  had  been  a  stranger  to  the  fact  of  relationship  and 
that  both  that  and  the  supposed  duty  were  unwelcome 
to  her  until  now. 

All  the  world  conceded  that  the  Rockefeller  family 
had  a  right  to  be  proud.  Such  was  the  world's  habit  of 
thought,  and  what  is  in  the  world's  thought  none  but 
God — or  one  close  to  the  strength  and  knowledge  of 
God — can  be  expected  to  resist. 

The  President  had  gone  a  little  more  into  detail 
with  Helen  in  regard  to  his  plans,  that  afternoon. 

"The  government,"  he  said  "can  not  take  this  leg- 
acy of  Morgan  Rockefeller  without  a  radical  amend- 
ment of  the  federal  constitution.  There  is  nothing  left 
for  me  to  do  but  sell,  and  that  is  impossible  as  none  can 
buy.  If  the  government  retains  it  as  trustee,  it  must 
operate  the  industries  and  the  best  legal  opinion  is 
that  the  will  may  now  be  set  aside  and  the  property 
turned  over  to  you  as  the  only  heir  of  Morgan  Rocke- 
feller.    It  will  require  a  court  proceeding.     I  will  have 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  213 

the  necessary  papers  prepared  for  you  to  sign  and  pre- 
sent them  for  your  signature.  Will  it  be  your  pleasure 
to  receive  me  and  a  deputation  of  attorneys  for  the  pur- 
pose, tomorrow?' ' 

Helen  had  assented. 

"So  then,"  she  thought,  "the  marvels  continue  to 
develop.  I  am  to  be  the  owner  of  all  North  America 
and  its  people.  Well — I  shall  do  great  good  with  this 
wealth." 

It  was  certainly  pride  which  was  being  enthroned 
in  a  heart  which  had  never  before  felt  superiority  in  a 
worldly  sense. 

And  what  was  this  pride? 

That  she  should  receive  the  credit  for  being  charit- 
able and  relieving  suffering  everywhere! 

That  men  and  women  would  bless  her  for  her  good- 
ness! 

That  her  name  would  be  the  synonym  of  everv  vir- 
tue! 

That  history  would  place  her  among  her  ancestors 
and  since  she  now  succeeded  them  when  all  their  work 
of  amassing  and  assembling  wealth  and  power  was 
completed,  she  would  enjoy  where  they  suffered,  and 
avoid  the  contamination  whose  stains  were  only  re- 
moved by  glorified  success. 

Helen  felt  exalted. 

Yet  she  dimly  recognized  that  her  enjoyment  of 
this  power  which  had  come  to  her  was  different  and  far 
less  satisfying  than  the  enjoyment  which  she  remem- 
bered as  springing  from  unselfish  action  where  good  was 
done  without  ostentation,  not  in  her  own  name,  but  in 
the  name  of  God  to  whom  belonged  all  glory. 


214  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

It  was  sometime  before  she  could  compose  her  agi- 
tation sufficiently  to  sleep. 

What  wonder! 

Was  the  world  being  tossed  like  a  ball  into  her 
keeping? 

WTien  at  last  she  did  sleep,  her  mind  winged  its 
way  from  the  consciousness  of  material  delusions  to 
that  realm  which  men  call  unreal — the  realm  of  dreams. 

She  dreamed  that  she  was  taken  up  into  a  high 
mountain  and  a  crown,  blazing  with  the  richest  jewels 
in  all  the  world,  came  and  rested  upon  her  head;  that 
royal  robes  flowed  in  stately  folds  down  from  her 
shoulders,  and  a  great  company  of  distinguished  look- 
ing people  with  dazzling  and  brilliant  costumes  paid 
homage  to  her.  She  looked  up  and  beheld  a  throne  and 
ere  she  could  utter  a  word,  she  felt  herself  taken  by  gen- 
tle forces  and  placed  upon  that  throne  and  a  sceptre 
slipped  into  her  hand.  Then  a  voice  seemed  to  come 
from  below — from  the  kneeling  world — from  the  slopes 
of  the  mountain  on  whose  summit  she  sat — from  the 
valleys  beyond — from  the  great  plains  which  stretched 
toward  the  setting  sun — from  the  rivers  and  lakes  and 
from  the  ocean  into  which  the  sun  was  sinking,  and  said : 

"Helen,  daughter  of  a  masterful  and  unconquered 
race,  henceforth  be  Empress  of  the  West.  Rule — and 
let  your  children  rule  after  you — for  the  world  has  given 
all  power  and  all  government  into  your  hands.  Wealth 
and  all  its  instrumentalities  are  yours.  History  and  all 
its  glory  are  yours.  You,  Empress  of  the  West,  more 
powerful  than  Semiramis;  than  Cleopatra,  than  Eliza- 
beth, than  Catharine,  than  Maria  Theresa  or  Victoria; 
more  potent  than  Sesostris,  Alexander,  Caesar,  Charle- 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  215 

magne,  Constantine  or  Napoleon — rule!  The  world  is 
yours." 

Then  the  skies  seemed  to  open  and  wonderful  fig- 
ures moved  toward  her  out  of  the  golden  clouds  which 
rolled  in  splendor  around  the  setting  sun.  She  had  a 
feeling  that  they  had  come  to  her  from  the  past — the 
past  so  remote,  so  distant  that  even  Fancy  faints  with 
exhaustion  in  an  effort  to  reestablish  it.  Strange  cos- 
tumes they  wore — strange  but  always  brilliant.  From 
ages  forgotten  they  came — bringing  the  fruits  of  those 
ages — and  while  the  company  prostrated  themselves — 
one  who  appeared  to  be  their  king,  knelt  and  said : 

"Great  Empress,  behold!  The  age  in  which  we 
lived  is  forgotten.  No  trace  of  its  existence  is  apparent 
to  man's  mortal  sense.  Even  our  country  and  all  its 
cities,  our  capital  and  all  its  marvels  of  architecture,  our 
schools  and  all  their  learning,  lie  beneath  the  shifting 
sands  at  the  bottom  of  yonder  ocean.  But  behold!  We 
have  contributed  to  the  glory  of  that  empire  which  is 
now  yours.  Our  very  name  is  lost  to  history  even  as 
will  be  the  name  of  that  age  and  clime  which  acknow- 
ledge your  dominion.  But  we,  from  the  forgotten  past, 
do  homage  to  the  present  and  to  you,  its  Imperial  Mis- 
tress." 

Then  the  figures  faded  like  phantoms  and  the  gol- 
den clouds  around  the  setting  sun  rolled  apart  once 
more  and,  as  from  the  gateway  of  a  fortress,  came  a  pro- 
cession of  mighty  armies  with  banners.  Strange  char- 
acters were  upon  those  banners,  but  in  her  dreamland 
empire,  the  knowledge  of  them  was  made  clear  to  Helen. 

And  on  the  first  banner  was  the  name  Babylon; 
and  the  "King  of  Kings"  who  lead  the  first  army  com- 


216  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

manded  the  gorgeously  caparisoned  elephant  upon 
which  he  rode  to  kneel,  and  it  knelt  before  the  throne 
upon  which  Helen  sat.  Then  the  King  dismounting, 
knelt  also  and  said : 

"  Mighty  Empress — ruler  of  all  wealth  in  whose 
hands  is  the  fate  of  millions — behold!  our  empire  and 
our  great  city  of  Babylon  is  also  in  ruins.  We  offer 
you  nothing  material.  But,  behold!  we  also  have  giv- 
en the  world  all  that  one  generation  ever  gave  to  an- 
other— our  best  thought.  Accept  our  gift,  mighty 
Empress,  Daughter  of  Wealth  and  Power." 

Then  knelt  the  kings  of  Nineveh,  and  Syria  and 
Persia,  and  China  and  the  Princes  of  India,  one  after 
the  other  and  offering  their  separate  tributes,  passed 
like  the  first.  And  Alexander  the  Great,  leading  the 
Grecian  hosts,  fell  on  his  knees,  with  all  those  heroes 
and  poets,  philosophers  and  teachers,  whom  Greece  had 
nurtured  in  her  youth  and  prime,  and  cried  out: 

"Do  not  disdain  us,  0  mighty  Empress,  for  though 
the  ruins,  even,  of  our  beautiful  cities  are  nearly  effaced, 
yet  do  we  contribute  to  your  greatness,  not  material 
wealth,  but  the  strength  of  mind,  the  models  and  graces 
of  art,  and  the  splendor  of  truth." 

Then  suddenly  the  world  and  the  sun  and  the  heav- 
ens grew  dark,  but  immediately  became  light  again  with 
a  brightness  more  dazzling  and  bewildering  than  ever. 
And  Imperial  Caesar,  and  the  legions  of  Rome,  that 
Eternal  City,  and  golden  chariots  and  a  vast  concourse 
of  people  swept  swiftly  to  their  place  before  the  throne 
and  knelt  down,  and  paid  their  homage  to  her  and 
passed  on.  When  Constantine  the  Great,  on  whose 
banner  was  the  symbol  of  the  cross  and  the  words  "In 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  217 

hoc  signo  vinces"  knelt,  Helen,  on  her  dreamland  throne 
could  not  forbear  to  ask:  "Did  you  think  then,  that 
Christ  charged  you  to  conquer  by  that  sign,  but  with  the 
sword?"  And  Constantine  answered:  "Alas!  we  did 
our  best  to  understand,  but  the  truth  was  lost  in  the 
tumult  and  confusion  of  our  material  age.  My  sword 
belongs  to  that  age,  but  the  cross  I  lay  at  the  foot  of 
your  throne.  I  have  rescued  it  for  you.  May  you 
comprehend  its  meaning  where  I  failed." 

Then  as  the  sun  sank  into  the  distant  sea  and  the 
world  grew  dark,  a  vast  overshadowing  cloud  arose 
whose  outlines  against  the  fading  light  resembled  the 
silhouetted  form  of  the  great  Napoleon,  as  he  is  pictured 
on  the  shores  of  St.  Helena.  But  the  night  fell  and  the 
shadow  passed  into  undistinguishable  darkness — and 
a  weird  and  mysterious  whisper  was  borne  to  her  by  the 
sighing  night  wind,  saying: 

"Alexander,  Caesar,  Charlemagne  and  myself 
founded  empires.  But  upon  what  did  we  rest  the  cre- 
ations of  our  genius?  Upon  force.  Jesus  Christ  alone 
founded  his  empire  upon  love,  and  at  this  moment  mil- 
lions of  men  would  die  for  him.  I  die  before  my  time 
and  my  body  will  be  given  back  to  the  earth,  to  become 
food  for  worms.  Such  is  the  fate  of  him  who  has  been 
called  the  Great  Napoleon.  What  an  abyss  between 
my  deep  misery  and  the  eternal  Kingdom  of  Christ, 
which  is  proclaimed,  loved  and  adored  and  which  is 
extending  over  the  whole  earth." 

In  her  dream  Helen  sat  alone  and  a  feeling  of  deso- 
lation seized  her  heart.  Why  was  she  there?  Where 
now  was  all  that  brilliant  assemblage?  What  had  be- 
come of  that  wonderful  pageantry?     WThat,  after  all, 


218  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

did  this  material  splendor  and  wealth  amount  to?  So 
complete  was  the  change,  and  so  great  the  reaction, 
that  the  desolation  of  her  position  became  one  al- 
most of  terror. 

Now  utter  darkness  enveloped  the  world.  The 
sun  was  gone,  the  moon  and  the  stars  had  disappeared, 
the  world  and  its  people  were  blotted  out.  She  was 
conscious  of  being  on  the  verge  of  a  precipice  over  which 
she  might  fall  if  she  made  the  slightest  move.  Never- 
theless, she  rose  from  the  throne  and  it  also  vanished. 
She  was  left  standing  alone  among  rugged  and  barren 
peaks  whose  jagged  forms  leaned  darkly  over  her  like 
threatening  shadows. 

Then  a  voice  came  to  her  through  the  blackness. 
She  was  startled.  But  the  voice  was  so  strong — yet  so 
gentle — so  confident  yet  so  full  of  compassion — that 
she  felt  in  a  measure  reassured. 

"Do  not  move,  "the  voice  said.  "I  will  be  with  you 
soon.  I  know  these  cliffs  and  rugged  places  better  than 
any  one  who  ever  lived,  and  I  will  guide  you.  Rely  only 
on  me." 

Somehow  the  voice  sounded  familiar.  Yet  it  was 
sweeter  and  more  fascinating  than  any  voice  she  ever 
heard  before.  She  looked  in  the  direction  whence  it 
came,  but  saw  no  human  form — only  the  black  shad- 
ows which  stood  out  from  the  darkness  of  her  surround- 
ings. While  she  looked,  a  flash  of  lightning  whipped 
across  the  sky  and  seemed  to  wind  itself  repeatedly  and 
in  quick  succession  round  and  round  the  mountain  peak. 
A  peal  of  thunder  split  the  air  and  a  great  ledge  went 
tumbling  with  deafening  roar  over  the  precipice  below. 

"Why,"  her  heart  cried  out  in  anguish,  "why  was 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  219 

I  shown  all  these  wonders,  only  to  be  thrown  into  the 
wretchedness  and  agony  of  ruin!" 
HI     She  did  not  speak  aloud,  but  the  voice  seemed  to 
answer  as  if  her  question  had  been  heard. 

"I  am  coming.  I  will  save  you.  Have  courage. 
Yours  is  but  the  common  lot  of  those  who  reach  these 
barren  earthly  summits." 

B»  It  seemed  almost  an  age  to  the  dreamer,  as  she  bal- 
anced herself  there  just  beneath  the  clouds  and  above 
the  dark  earth,  before  she  heard  that  voice  again  and 
felt  a  strong  hand  rest  upon  her  shoulder. 

"Place  your  arm  in  mine,"  the  voice  said.  "Lean 
heavily  on  me." 

Helen  did  as  she  was  bidden  and  then,  suddenly,  a 
great  light  seemed  to  shine  from  the  heavens  above,  and 
the  voice  said : 

"I,  too,  was  tempted  once,  Helen,  even  as  you  are 
tempted  now.  I,  too,  was  shown  all  the  power  and 
beauty  which  this  world  contains  even  as  it  has  been  ex- 
hibited to  you.  I  had  the  choice  between  the  tinsel 
splendor  of  material  and  transitory  power  and  the  last- 
ing glory  of  that  power  which  exists  only  in  truth  and 
love.  Had  I  chosen  to  rule  as  an  earthly  king,  I  could 
have  been  like  this  multitude  of  shining  shadows,  which 
have  thus  anxiously  sought  your  recognition — as  the 
heir  of  the  material  ages.  But  at  last,  the  vision  which 
was  shown  me  from  this  great  height  faded,  as  all  such 
visions  must  and  in  my  soul  only  the  truth  of  God  was 
left.  I  spurned  the  gift  of  the  material  kingdom  and 
accepted  the  spiritual  kingdom  instead.  For  this  they 
destroyed  my  body.  For  this,  they  sought  to  efface 
my  very  name,  or  blacken  it  past  recognition." 


220  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

The  voice  paused.  The  surroundings  had  be- 
come very  bright  now.  Helen  had  not  been  conscious 
of  moving  from  the  position  which  she  occupied  when 
she  first  felt  the  touch  of  the  rescuing  hand,  but  now  she 
saw  that  the  mountain  on  which  she  had  just  been 
standing  seemed  far  in  the  distance. 

"Oh!"  she  cried  out,  "who  are  you?"  And  she 
could  not  resist  the  impulse  to  throw  herself  at  his  feet. 
A  feeling  of  shame  filled  her  heart  and  she  hid  her  face 
in  her  hands,  kneeling  there  and  not  venturing  to  look 
up.  But  the  voice  spoke  to  her  again  with  accents  of 
deep  compassion  and  sympathy. 

"Arise,  Helen,  and  be  not  ashamed,"  it  said.  "The 
splendor  of  these  material  kingdoms  which  have  been 
shown  unto  you  and  whose  achievements,  such  as  they 
are,  have  been  laid  at  your  feet,  fades  and  vanishes. 
Only  the  spiritual  kingdom,  the  kingdom  of  love, 
Christ's  kingdom,  does  not  fade.  While  the  names  of 
material  leaders  are  legion,  the  name  of  Him  who  re- 
jected all  material,  earthly  and  selfish  honor,  stands 
alone.  The  temptation  of  Christ  was  real,  Helen,  as 
yours  is  now.  It  was  possible  for  him  to  make  the 
choice  which  evidences  mere  human  weakness,  instead 
of  that  which  proclaims  the  omnipotence  of  God.  I 
bid  you  rise  above  this  temptation,  even  as  I  rose  above 
mine.  Forget  this  glory.  Forget  this  throne,  this 
wealth  and  its  trivial  honor.  Pursue  that  great  mis- 
sion which  you  first  conceived,  and  establish  that  bro- 
therly love  among  men,  which  alone  will  render  this 
material  life  worthy." 

And  Helen  looked  up,  and  behold!  it  was  the  face 
of  the  Christ,  and  it  did  not  fade  but  seemed  to  fill  all 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  221 

the  world  with  the  consecration  and  the  surpassing  ma- 
jesty and  beauty  of  its  smile. 

Then  she  awoke,  and  it  was  morning. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 
THE  MESSAGE. 

The  impressions  of  that  night  of  dreams  were  ex- 
ceedingly vivid  in  the  mind  of  Helen  when,  after  an 
early  breakfast,  she  waived  aside  the  offices  of  her  at- 
tendants and  insisted  on  going  into  the  White  House 
park  alone  for  a  quiet  stroll.  As  she  passed  through 
one  of  the  rooms  belonging  to  her  suite,  she  noticed  her 
secretary  at  work  assorting,  reading  and  answering  her 
correspondence.  A  desire  to  hear  from  some  one  who 
was  nearer  and  dearer  than  all  these  mere  social  beings 
around  her  suddenly  impelled  her  to  step  over  to  the 
secretary's  desk  and  look  for  some  letters  in  which  she 
might  be  interested.  As  she  did  so,  she  saw  one  lying 
on  the  heap  which  filled  the  secretary's  basket,  and  her 
eye  caught  the  familiar  hand  writing  of  Alden.  Eagerly 
she  reached  out  her  hand  to  take  it,  when  Miss  Lee,  the 
secretary,  quickly  covered  it  with  her  hand,  exclaiming: 

"You  mustn't  take  that." 

No  sooner  had  she  acted  and  spoken  thus  than  a 
look  of  horror  came  over  the  secretary's  face,  as  she 
gazed  into  Helen's. 

"Why  may  I  not  take  it?"  demanded  Helen  indig- 
nantly.    "Is  it  not  mine?" 

The  secretary  withdrew  her  hand  as  quickly  as  she 
had  extended  it  and  turned  pale. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  223 

"Oh!  I  beg  your  pardon,  Miss  Charming!"  she  ex- 
claimed, hesitatingly  "I  did  not  think.  I  was  told— 
certainly  it  is  yours.,, 

Helen  was  so  anxious  to  read  the  letter,  and  one 
from  Mrs.  Locksley,  postmarked  "Boston,"  which  she 
also  found  with  the  rest,  that  she  did  not  note  what  the 
secretary  was  saying,  but  readily  accepted  the  excuse 
and  granted  the  pardon  asked  for.  There  was  a  vague 
suspicion  in  her  mind,  however,  that  the  secretary 
acted  strangely. 

Alden's  letter  was  dated  Shanghai,  China,  and  was 
postmarked  three  weeks  earlier.  Evidently  it  had  been 
long  delayed.  It  was  the  first  Helen  knew  that  he  had 
been  sent  abroad.  His  absence  and  his  failure  to  write 
or  call  on  her  had  aisturbed  Helen  a  little,  but  the  social 
whirl  and  her  lack  of  familiar  acquaintance  with  any- 
body whom  Alden  knew  intimately,  had  made  it  practi- 
cally impossible  to  learn  about  him.  She  had  asked, 
but  no  one  seemed  to  know,  although  the  President  had 
once  intimated  that  he  had  gone  on  a  secret  mission. 
She  had  wondered  why  she  heard  nothing  from  him, 
but  waited  without  serious  misgivings,  yet  with  some 
irritation  and  impatience.  Since  morning,  she  had 
been  thinking  of  Alden  a  good  deal  and  so  now  she 
made  haste  to  be  seated  in  a  secluded  place  in  the  park 
where  she  could  read  it  without  interruption. 

"Dear  Miss  Channing,"  the  letter  began,  "you 
can  not  realize  how  hopeless  an  American  feels  in  the 
midst  of  this  dense  population.  I  believe  I  would 
rather  live  in  the  wilderness  of  Colombia,  among  un- 
sophisticated and  careless  semi-savages,  than  surrounded 
always  by  these  mild,  submissive  automata  of  an  over- 


224  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

wrought  competitive  and  commercial  civilization,  such 
as  China  presents.  America  under  the  Rockefellers  is 
a  paradise  of  justice  and  comfort  by  contrast. 

'  'Everywhere  I  go,  dear  Helen,  especially  in  the 
crowded  and  strangely  magnificent  cities,  I  see  wealth 
and  poverty  deriding  and  denouncing  each  other.  Yet 
this  is  not  done  as  I  imagine  it  was  done  in  John  D. 
Rockefeller's  time.  It  must  be  that  the  curse  of  com- 
petition is  more  intense  here  today  than  it  was  in  Amer- 
ica then.  Here  the  struggle  for  existence  is  painfully 
exhibited  in  the  wan,  haunted  faces  of  the  humiliated 
masses  as  they  cower  beneath  the  triumphant  inso- 
lence of  the  few  victorious. 

"I  love  America.  If  only  that  sentiment  of  bro- 
therly love,  systematized  as  commerce  requires,  and  or- 
ganized as  the  Reapers  propose,  could  be  substituted  as 
you  have  fondly  anticipated,  for  the  purely  commercial 
autocracy  of  your  great  ancestors,  then  my  country 
would  usher  in  that  'peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to 
men'  of  which  the  Redeemer  spoke.  Circumstances 
have  placed  you,  dear  Helen,  in  a  position  most  favor- 
able to  your  plan. 

"I  am  now  writing  you  in  one  of  China's  cele- 
brated tea  gardens.  It  is  a  dream  of  old  China  arranged 
to  be  seductive  to  the  fancy  of  the  dreamer  or  the  wan- 
dering wayfarer.  Before  me  spreads  an  artificial  land- 
scape presenting  the  world  in  miniature.  Below  the 
garden  slope,  I  can  see  the  torrential  Yalu  winding 
through  its  fertile  and  beautiful  valley.  In  some  ways 
it  reminds  me  of  our  own  Mississippi  near  Montraven 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  225 

Castle,  but  nothing  comparable  to  that  marvel  of  ar- 
chitecture or  of  the  capital  city  of  the  Rockefellers  is 
suggested. 

"Helen,  I  have  propounded  to  myself  this  great 
question:  Will  the  time  come  when  your  idea  of  or- 
ganized brotherly  love  will  rule  America?  Will  it 
spread  thence  to  the  rest  of  the  world?  You  are  the 
descendant  of  the  Rockefellers.  Has  the  pride  of  that 
splendid  ancestry  assumed  a  place  in  your  heart? 
When  I  went  to  Boston  to  carry  the  President's  invita- 
tion I  felt  the  influence  of  old  habits  of  thought.  I 
looked  upon  you  as  in  some  degree  beyond  me.  I 
feared  it  would  be  presumptuous  for  me  to  approach 
you  as  an  equal.  You  did  not  appear  to  entertain  any 
suspicion  that  such  a  superiority  existed.  I  have 
struggled  with  my  old  and  new  self;  the  old  self  which 
accepted  human  delusions  and  superstitions  as  truths, 
and  the  new  self  which  you  have  invested  with  a  liberty 
which  cannot  be  limited  by  falsehood,  and  I  find  that 
now  I  am  able  to  believe  in  and  realize  our  social  equal- 
ity. 

"Dear  Helen,  I  shall  hesitate  no  longer.  While  I 
see  that  your  mission  is  a  great  one,  to  redeem  mankind 
through  love,  I  also  am  consecrated  through  you  to  the 
same  unselfish  cause.  I  think  always  of  man's  redemp- 
tion from  the  thralldom  of  his  own  errors  and  I  think 
always  of  you,  the  bright  particular  star,  from  whose 
loving  heart  and  unselfish  thought  sprang  the  fraternal 
suggestion  which  a  powerful  order  has  made  its  funda- 
mental law. 

"I  feel  within  me,  Helen,  a  strength  which  is  not 
altogether  due  to  the  energy  of  youth  or  yet  to  mind.  I 


226  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

believe  that  I  can  do  the  work  of  a  giant  in  that  universal 
cause  of  humanity  of  which  you  are  the  idol  and  the 
ideal.  But,  dearest,  without  you  I  am  nothing.  Let 
me  say  it  now — all  that  I  am  or  hope  to  be  are  the  out- 
growth of  my  deep,  constant  and  deathless  love  for  you. 
I  am  guided  by  it  as  if  it  were  a  light  by  day  and  a  pillar 
of  fire  by  night  leading  me  to  splendid  effort  or,  if  need 
be,  to  unlimited  sacrifice.  My  life  is  tormented  by 
doubts  as  to  whether  this  passion  which  is  consuming 
me  can  be  understood  or  my  love  can  be  reciprocated. 
Sometimes  I  think  that  I  can  recall,  in  that  sweetness  of 
our  familiar  association,  evidences  that  you  could  love 
me  if  it  were  possible  for  you  to  deviate  from  your  high 
and  pure  purpose,  and  select  a  human  being  for  your  es- 
pecial affection.  Your  life  is  one  of  love — love  of  truth 
—love  of  justice — love  of  humanity.  Mine  can  be 
thus,  too,  if  it  may  also  live  within  your  influence  and 
feel  that,  while  we  live  for  all  mankind,  we  live  for  each 
other  by  God's  special  dispensation. 

"Dearest  Helen,  I  have  spoken.  Your  answer  is 
my  life  or  my  undoing.  Should  my  declaration  be  ap- 
proved and  my  love  reciprocated  by  you,  neither  the 
oceans  nor  the  mountains  nor  the  power  of  wealth  nor 
the  pride  of  position,  can  keep  us  apart. 

"I  shall  await  a  letter,  dearest,  in  anticipation  of 
that  happiness  which  I  have  faith  will  be  mine.  Yet 
in  spite  of  that  anticipation  and  all  the  delightful  vis- 
ions which  hope  so  kindly  presents  to  the  imagination 
of  one  who  loves,  I  shall  be  impatient  and  at  times  full 
of  doubt  and  fear. 

With  undying  love, 

Alden  Lowell." 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL  227 

As  Helen  read  this  letter  her  face  flushed  and  her 
hand  trembled.  Agitation,  confusion  and  distress 
filled  her  mind.  To  do  her  justice,  she  had  rarely 
thought  of  marriage  and  she  had  felt  herself  devoted  to 
the  cause  which  she  had  selected  as  a  life  work.  She  re- 
garded Alden  as  the  most  familiar  and  acceptable  friend 
among  men  and  if  her  feelings  toward  him  were  other 
than  those  of  a  friend  and  a  sister,  she  had  not  defined 
them.  He  had  all  the  qualities  which  would  appeal  to  a 
young  girl.  But  Helen  was  not  accustomed  to  think- 
ing of  herself  as  a  young  girl.  She  had,  for  nearly 
seven  years  of  her  twenty-four,  taken  a  leading  part  in 
every  sphere  in  which  she  had  moved,  and  the  last  three 
weeks  had  been  an  acceptance  of  almost  supreme  power. 
She  was  agitated  now,  because  it  seemed  that  she  was 
called  upon  to  decide  a  question  which  she  would  rather 
postpone.  She  was  confused  because  she  could  not 
quite  understand  her  duty,  and  she  was  distressed  be- 
cause she  reflected  that  poor  Alden  had  waited  patiently 
but  in  vain  for  her  answer  and  still  must  wait.  The 
contents  of  Alden's  letter  were  entirely  unexpected,  but 
as  she  thought  it  over,  now,  she  reflected  that  it  was  not, 
after  all,  surprising  that  he  would  feel  justified  in  writ- 
ing it. 

"Strange!"  said  Helen  to  herself,  as  she  began  to 
read  the  letter  again,  "strange  that  I  have  not  received 
this  letter  before." 

Then  she  felt  her  face  flush  once  more  as  she  re- 
called with  shame,  the  pride  which  had  nearly  conquered 
her  during  the  recent  past. 


228  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

"Good  morning,  Miss  Channing!"  said  a  voice,  and 
looking  up  from  her  letter,  Helen  saw  the  handsome 
form  and  face  of  Secretary  Endicott,  who  stood,  hat  in 
hand,  bowing  with  courtly  politeness.  She  was  pleased. 
Secretary  Endicott  was  a  man  who  could  not  be  excelled 
in  giving  pleasure  in  a  social  way,  if  he  chose  to  make 
the  effort .  Helen  enjoyed  his  society  and  entertained 
a  very  high  opinion  of  his  abilities  as  well  as  his  personal 
qualities. 

"Is  it  not  unusual  for  you  to  walk  alone  in  the 
park?"  he  asked. 

"It  is  unusual,  Mr.  Endicott,"  she  replied,  "but  I 
was  weary  of  the  attention  which  everybody  seems  de- 
termined to  pay  me  and  came  out  here  to  get  a  chance 
to  think." 

"Oh!  perhaps  I  am  intruding,"  politely  ventured 
the  Secretary,  stepping  back  as  if  to  withdraw. 

"No!  No!"  exclaimed  Helen,  rising.  "I  am  really 
glad  you  have  come.  I  want  to  ask  you  some  questions 
relating  to  certain  thoughts  of  mine.  I  feel  sure  you 
can  answer  them  for  I  am  told  you  know  almost  every- 
thing." 

"I  know  very  little,  Miss  Helen,"  returned  the 
Secretary,  "and  I  sometimes  wish  I  knew  even  less,  if 
that  were  really  possible.  Don't  you  frequently  feel 
that  it  is  very  unsatisfactory  to  think  at  all?  I  remem- 
ber an  old  song  which  began,  '0,  to  be  nothing.'  In 
those  days  when  I  heard  the  song  sung,  I  thought  it  ab- 
surd. Now  it  seems  to  have  a  certain  truth  involved  in 
it."  The  old  cynical  look  came  back  to  the  Secretary's 
face.  But  feeling  the  reproachful  eyes  of  the  beautiful 
and  sincere  woman  at  his  side  upon  him  he  dispelled  the 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  229 

unpleasant  expression  and  looking  down  at  her,  smiled 
in  his  genially  enchanting  way.  "Well,  I  shouldn't  say 
that,  when  I  have  the  pleasure  of  being  in  your  society, 
Miss  Helen,  but  I  sometimes  remember  a  saying  an  old 
college  friend  of  mine  used  to  repeat.  There  isn't  any- 
thing, and  if  there  is,  it  doesn't  amount  to  anything.' 
I  wish  I  could  take  a  more  cheerful  view  of  the  world 
and  what  we  call  creation.  I  believe  I  could  do  so,  too, 
if  I  had  the  proper  companionship  in  life." 

Helen  felt  a  little  frightened.  She  had  received 
one  surprise  that  morning  and  was  rather  nervous.  The 
slightest  suspicion  came  over  her  mind  that  this  hand- 
some and  delightful  man  was  suggesting  a  defect  in  his 
life  which  it  had  been  brought  home  to  her  existed  in 
the  life  of  Alden  also.  But  she  resolved  to  change  the 
subject  as  soon  as  convenient. 

"That  is  dissolving  all  things  into  nothingness, 
surely,"  she  remarked,  with  a  little  laugh.  "But  I  am 
sure  that  it  is  very  pleasant  to  think  if  one  thinks 
rightly.  I  believe  that  love  is  the  mainspring  of  all 
thought  which  is  worth  having.  If  one  thinks  for  his 
country  he  will  enjoy  it,  if  he  is  a  patriot  and  loves  it. 
There  is  no  pleasure  in  this  life  except  in  thinking  and 
working  for  what  one  loves.  Your  friend's  saying 
should  be  changed  to  express  this  thought:  There 
isn't  anything  but  love,  and  if  there  was  it  would  not 
be  worth  anything.'  " 

Endicott  understood  that  Helen  was  thinking  of  a 
universal  love  and  not  the  sentiment  which  mortals 
deal  in. 

They  strolled  along  leisurely,  side  by  side  and  the 
people  who  passed  thought  they  looked  very  handsome 


230  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

together.  Gossip,  too,  recognized  them  with  de- 
light and  ran  with  flying  feet  and  flippant  phrase  to 
scatter  falsehood  far  and  wide. 


CHAPTER  XL. 
HELEN'S  QUESTION. 

"I  am  told,  Mr.  Endicott,"  said  Helen,  as  they 
strolled  along  the  embowered  avenues,  "that  you  have 
been  especially  trained  in  the  diplomatic  service  and 
have  spent  much  time  in  China.  I  am  curious  to 
know  more  of  that  country,  for  it  is  now  the  greatest 
commercial  power  among  those  which  still  adhere  to 
the  competitive  system.  My  studies  have  been  limited 
to  Europe,  Africa  and  America  and,  I  have  recently, 
as  you  know,  learned  something  of  South  America." 

"Yes,"  answered  the  Secretary,  "I  have  spent 
some  years  in  the  Dragon's  land.  It  is,  indeed,  a  won- 
derful country,  but  I  cannot  see  why  any  one  should 
care  to  live  there.  America  is  the  crowning  civilization 
and  our  abandonment  of  the  competitive  policy  has 
placed  us  as  far  in  advance  of  new  and  awakened  China 
as  we  were  in  1900  in  advance  of  old  China.  If  you 
will  suggest  to  me  what  feature  interests  you  most,  I 
will  count  myself  fortunate  to  be  able  to  give  you  any 
information  in  my  power.  It  would  be  impossible  to  give 
you  the  history  of  China  in  one  conversation." 

"Thank  you,  Mr.   Endicott,"  said    Helen.     "I  hope 
I  am  not  asking  too  much,  if  I  request  you  to  give  me  a 


232  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

brief  statement  of  the  one  or  two  most  important  facts 
in  the  history  of  China  which  bear  directly  on  the  de- 
velopment of  America." 

"I  will  gladly  do  that,"  began  Endicott. 

"China  has  been,  next  to  America,  the  seat  of  the 
greatest  social  revolution  in  history. 

"The  Celestial  Empire  contains  over  six  hundred 
million  people,  more  than  ninety  percent  of  whom  are 
laborers  and  all  of  whom,  until  the  latter  part  of  the 
life  of  America's  fourth  Rockefeller,  lived  simple  and 
spiritless  lives. 

"Until  the  time  of  the  fourth  Rockefeller,  China's 
exhaustless  veins  of  gold,  silver,  iron,  copper  and  other 
minerals,  rich  beyond  the  dreams  of  avarice,  remained 
untouched. 

"China's  labor,  so  cheap  as  to  stagger  the  stan- 
dards of  Europe  and  America,  invited  the  world toput 
it  to  work. 

"Capital,  lured  by  these  unparalleled  temptations 
and  caring  nothing  for  those  sentimental  ideals  which 
poets  and  dreamers  have  presented  to  a  Christianized 
world,  began  to  pour  into  China,  not  with  thought  of 
helping  and  elevating  mankind,  but  for  sordid  gain, 
for  usury,  profit  and  toll. 

"The  giant  awoke,  not  into  a  military  age,  but  into 
an  age  of  commerce  and  industry. 

"His  morning  hour  had  struck. 

"He  sprang  into  action  with  the  courage  of  fatalism 
and  with  tireless  strength. 

"He  wrought  incessantly  with  dexterous  and  rest- 
less hands  and  feet. 

"He  seemed  never  to  sleep  again. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  233 

"The  whole  world  marveled. 

"The  mines  opened  their  treasure  vaults  to  wealth 
unlimited. 

"Factories  arose  and  mingled  magical  music  with 
the  ancient  song  of  every  waterfall  and  rushing  tide. 

"Railroads  stretched  their  shining  steel  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  miles  from  the  heart  of  China  to  every 
mart  of  trade  and  center  of  hope  in  that  vast  and  mighty 
realm. 

"Measured  by  the  European  and  American  stan- 
dard, this  wonderful  industrial  structure,  more  nearly 
complete  in  two  decades  than  Europe  had  become  in 
four  thousand  years,  cost  a  trifle. 

"Cheap  labor  did  it  all. 

"Steel  rails,  fabrics,  furniture,  machinery,  jewelry 
and  every  description  of  manufactured  articles  were 
produced  so  cheaply  that  Europe  could  not  compete 
and  the  sceptre  of  commercial  empire,  so  far  as  it  re- 
lated to  Eurasia,  passed  to  Pekin. 

"The  Yellow  Peril,  once  feared  as  an  armed  men- 
ace, developed  into  an  industrial  invasion.  Germany 
in  some  measure  saved  itself  by  a  high  protective  tariff 
and,  by  enacting  laws  to  suppress  combinations  of  cap- 
ital, maintained  a  form  of  democracy.  But  England, 
true  to  her  free  trade  traditions  and  slow  to  change, 
was  nearly  ruined  and  all  she  used  was  imported  from 
China  or  America. 

"It  is  a  splendid  commentary  on  the  Standard 
methods  of  conservation  and  value  of  economic  concen- 
tration, that  America,  under  all  the  Rockefellers  since 


234  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

the  fourth,  could  pay  the  highest  scale  of  wages,  sup- 
port its  laborers  in  greater  comfort  than  any  other  na- 
tion and  still  compete  with  China. 

''The  Rockefellers  were  the  patrons  of  education 
for  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  their  service.  This 
meant  intelligent  service  which  in  turn  meant  skill, 
efficiency,  merit  and  cheapness. 

"In  competing  with  China,  since  only  the  Rocke- 
fellers were  producers  or  distributors  in  America,  and 
since  they  were  the  only  exporters  and  importers,  Chin- 
ese goods  could  not  enter  America  or  find  purchases 
there,  if  the  Rockefellers  refused  to  buy. 

"While  America  was  politically  and  theoretically  a 
free  trade  country,  in  a  practical  sense  the  decision  of 
Standard  determined  what  Chinese  goods  should  come 
in,  if  any,  and  the  wisdom  of  the  Rockefellers  saved 
America  from  being  humiliated  by  commercial  China.' ' 

"Would  not  a  high  protective  tariff  have  saved 
Democratic  America  from  such  humiliation?"  inter- 
rupted Helen. 

"That  system  of  exclusion  of  Chinese  goods  might 
have  been  effectual  to  some  extent,"  replied  the  Secre- 
tary, "if  the  Rockefeller  system  had  not  been  in  force. 
You  remember  that  in  Morgan  Rockefeller's  time  that 
great  man  proposed  that,  as  the  industries  were  now 
operated  by  Standard  and  as  Standard  paid  all  the  tariff 
dues,  which  did  not  meet  the  expenses  of  government, 
those  expenses  would  be  in  the  future  paid  out  of  the 
Merger's  treasury  as  an  internal  tax.  This  required  a 
change  in  the  federal  constitution  and  that  having  been 
effected  the  nation  became  absolutely  and  in  fact  a  free 
trade  country. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  235- 

"Does  this  answer  your  question?"  asked  the  Sec- 
retary, in  conclusion,  looking  down  into  the  face  which 
was  turned  toward  him  with  every  expression  of  admir- 
ation. 

"You  have  answered  it,  Mr.  Endicott,"  she  ex.- 
claimed.  "You  have  answered  with  the  genius  of  con- 
densation and  expression  for  which  you  are  fa- 
mous. But  I  would  like  to  ask  one  other  question. 
Will  you  tell  me  what  important  business  Mr.  Adam's 
government  is  now  transacting  with  China?" 

The  faintest  feeling  of  jealousy  pricked  its  way 
into  Endicott's  heart. 

"So  that,"  he  thought,  "is  the  interest  she  has  in 
China.  She  is  thinking  of  Lowell."  Then  he  laughed 
at  his  own  weakness  and  shook  himself  free  from  the 
imp. 

"The  government  is  not  transacting  any  business 
with  China,"  he  replied.  "As  I  have  stated,  this  coun- 
try only  imports  from  China  what  the  Rockefeller  es- 
tate purchases.  You  know  that  in  Aldrich  Rockefel- 
ler's time,  China  ordered  all  American  corporations  to 
wind  up  their  business  in  that  country  and  confiscated 
all  interests  which  the  Rockefellers  held  there.  This, 
of  course,  was  an  insult  which  the  warlike  Aldrich 
could  not  brook.  He  was  willing  to  withdraw  from 
China,  but  declined  to  do  so  unless  fairly  compensated 
to  the  full  measure  of  his  holdings  there.  The  result 
was  the  Chinese- American  war  which  was  fought  out  on 
the  Pacific.  The  complete  defeat  of  the  Chinese  navy 
at  the  great  battle  of  Honolulu  placed  the  Chinese 
ports  at  the  mercy  of  the  American  guns  and  China  sued 
for  peace. 


236  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

' 'Standard,  however,  had  decided  on  complete  con- 
centration of  its  operations  in  America  and  a  treaty 
of  peace  was  concluded  by  which  China  paid  a  war 
indemnity  and  purchased  the  Rockefeller  holdings 
in  the  empire  with  its  bonds.  The  vast  resources 
and  labor  power  of  China  have  made  it  possible  to  dis- 
charge the  indemnity,  but  there  is  a  considerable  bal- 
ance still  due  the  Standard. 

"Last  year's  rice  crop  in  Standard's  fields  in  Amer- 
ica was  a  failure,  as  you  know,  and  Mr.  Adams  is  now 
negotiating  on  behalf  of  the  Estate  for  the  purchase  of  a 
supply  of  rice  which  he  will  accept  as  part  payment  of 
the  balance  which  China  still  owes.  He  regards  it  as 
better  than  gold,  and  I  think  he  is  right,  for  we  need  it." 

"I  thank  you,  Mr.  Endicott,"  said  Helen,  when  he 
had  concluded.  "You  have  given  me  the  information  I 
wanted.  But,"  she  continued,  pointing  up  the  avenue, 
"here  comes  a  messenger  in  great  haste.  He  probably 
has  a  summons  for  you." 

The  messenger,  dressed  in  the  uniform  of  his  ser- 
vice, came  running  toward  them  and  saluting  the  Sec- 
retary, handed  him  a  note. 

"The  President  wishes  to  know  when  it  will  be  con- 
venient to  receive  him,"  said  the  Secretary,  after  read- 
ing the  note.  "I  will  tell  the  messenger  to  say  that 
you  will  be  at  your  apartments  immediately,  if  you 
wish." 

"Certainly,"  assented  Helen.  "I  understand  the 
purpose.  But,  Mr.  Endicott,"  she  added,  "I  have  de- 
cided not  to  accept  any  plan  to  take  the  estate  of  Mor- 
gan Rockefeller  over  to  myself." 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  237 

The  Secretary  looked  at  her  searchingly  and  al- 
most severely.  But]  he  saw  only  the  quiet,  calm  and 
beautiful  face  which  gave  no  evidence  of  agitation  and 
excitement. 

"She  is  playful,"  thought  Endicott.  "But  she 
plays  with  the  whole  world.     She  does  not  mean  it." 

"Come,"  he  said  aloud,  "shall  I  escort  Your  Excel- 
lency?" He  said  "Your  Excellency"  with  a  note  of 
reverence  and  Helen  started  perceptibly  as  she  heard 
so  significant  a  title  applied  to  her  by  this  man  of  power. 
For  a  moment  the  visions  came  swarming  back  again, 
and  the  old  pride  of  the  Hall  of  History  momentarily 
asserted  itself.     But  only  for  a  moment. 

"Let  us  go,"  she  said  simply,  and  they  returned  to 
the  White  House  together. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 
THE  SUIT  REJECTED. 

It  was  suspected  throughout  the  republic  that 
President  Adams  and  his  cabinet  were  plan- 
ning some  sort  of  a  coup  in  connection  with  the  Estate. 
It  was  also  suspected  that  Helen  Channing  was  re^ 
garded  at  the  White  House  as  the  rightful  heir  and  that 
some  course  was  proposed  by  which  the  estate  would 
be  restored  to  her.  Many  people  were  pronounced  in 
their  approval  of  any  plan  which  would  clarify  the  sis- 
uation  and  settle  the  problem  which  produced  confusion. 
Whether  any  large  number  disapproved  the  White 
House  plan,  as  it  was  called,  could  never  be  ascertained, 
for  discretion  was  as  great  a  virtue  under  the  commercial 
system  as  under  the  military. 

The  Estate's  despotic,  economic  control  was  so 
complete  that  men  and  women  were  unwilling  to  jeop- 
ardize position  by  exercising  the  theoretical  right  to 
speak  freely. 

The  Press,  owned  and  controlled  by  Standard,  said 
nothing  of  "plans"  but  reported  every  expression  in  fa- 
vor of  restoring  the  estate  to  Miss  Channing.  This  it 
did  without  comment,  but  so  artfully  as  to  leave  an 
impression  that  public  sentiment  was  unanimously 
favorable  to  Miss  Channing. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  289 

If  there  was  opposition  it  was  nursed  in  secret. 

President  Adams  neither  believed  nor  suspected 
that  any  opposition  would  develop  and  he  was  con- 
vinced that  if  it  did,  it  could  have  no  influence  to  pre- 
vent the  result  which  he  desired. 

The  President  had  sent  to  ascertain  if  Helen  was 
prepared  to  receive  him  with  Judge  Brewer  and  Attor- 
ney General  Holmes,  with  reference  to  her  interest  in 
the  Estate.  Learning  that  she  was  walking  in  the  park 
with  Secretary  Endicott,  he  deemed  the  time  auspicious 
and  sent  to  ask  if  the  lady  and  the  Secretary  would 
both  be  present  in  case  a  conference  at  the  lady's  apart- 
ments should  be  regarded  with  favor. 

A  half  hour  later,  the  President  and  the  two  law- 
yers with  formidable-looking  packages  were  seated 
with  Miss  Helen  and  Secretary  Endicott,  in  a  consulta- 
tion which  the  President  considered  the  most  important 
during  his  administration  of  the  Estate. 

"Miss  Channing,"  said  the  President,  after  all  the 
formalities  of  his  system  of  etiquette  were  concluded, 
"you  are  aware  that  the  people  of  America  are  dissatis- 
fied with  the  action  of  your  deceased  uncle  in  attempt- 
ing to  disinherit  you,  his  only  legal  heir.  The  will  by 
which  he  assumed  to  devise  the  vast  wealth  which  he 
and  his  ancestors  had  accumulated,  to  the  Government 
of  the  United  States  in  trust,  bears  on  its  face  many 
evidences  of  an  unsound  and  unsettled  mental  condi- 
tion. But  beyond  this,  he  seems  to  have  misappre- 
hended the  legal  powers  of  our  national  government. 
The  will  is  invalid  both  because  the  testator  was  of 
unsound  mind  when  it  was  made,  and  because  the  de- 
visee had  no  capacity  to  accept  and  none  to  administer 


240  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

the  trust  sought  to  be  created.  These  reasons,  in 
themselves,  are  sufficient  to  justify  you  in  asking  the 
courts  to  set  the  will  aside  and  to  establish  your  own 
title.  But  apart  from  your  natural  wish  to  succeed  to 
the  Rockefeller  property,  you  are  called  upon 
to  aid  the  state  by  relieving  it  from  an  embarrassment 
which  must  ultimately  prove  disastrous.  Both  pat- 
riotism and  duty  require  that  you,  whom  birth  and 
circumstances  have  designated  for  that  purpose,  in- 
sist that  your  rights  be  restored  and  that  the  terrible 
mistake  of  your  uncle  be  corrected.  Judge  Brewer, 
will  you  read  the  petition,  by  which  Miss  Channing 
will  invoke  the  decree  of  the  court  in  her  behalf?" 

Judge  Brewer  being  thus  addressed,  opened  one  of 
the  packages  which  he  had  brought,  and  taking  a  docu- 
ment from  it  unfolded  it.  The  Judge,  it  should  be  un- 
derstood, was  one  of  the  most  eminent  and  honorable 
of  his  profession  and  his  opinion  on  any  legal  question 
was  of  the  very  highest  non- judicial  authority. 

Miss  Channing,"  said  the  Judge,  addressing 
Helen,  and  evidently  intending  to  preface  his  reading 
by  some  explanation,  "the  petition  is  necessarily  some- 
what lengthy.  I  hope  it  will  not  prove  tiresome,  but 
in  order  that  Your  Excellency  may  be  able  to  verify  it,  I 
deem  the  reading  imperative." 

"Mr.  President,  and  Judge  Brewer,"  interposed 
Helen,  who  had  listened  respectfully  to  what  both  gen- 
tlemen had  said,  but  who  appeared  less  eager  and  in- 
terested than  seemed  entirely  natural,  "it  will  not  be 
necessary  to  read  the  petition.  I  have  given  this  mat- 
ter—" 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  241 

"Pardon  me,"  said  the  president,  interrupting 
Helen,  the  tone  of  his  voice  suggesting  some  impatience. 
"Judge  Brewer  tells  us  that  you  cannot  verify  the  peti- 
ion  unless  you  read  it  or  it  is  read  to  you.  It  is  routine 
work  with  which  we  cannot  dispense." 

Something  about  the  president's  look  as  he  spoke, 
irritated  Helen.  Still,  her  manner  did  not  betray  the 
fact  and  she  accepted  his  words  calmly.  It  now  occurred 
to  her  for  the  first  time,  that  the  president  might 
even  attempt  to  command  her.  That  one  of  her  race 
could  be  overridden  by  any  one,  was  not  conceivable 
to  her.  If  there  was  to  be  a  contest,  however,  she  well 
new  that  every  vestige  of  vanity,  whether  it  was  sug- 
gested by  her  family  distinction  or  desire  to  assert  her 
individuality,  must  be  excluded  from  her  mind  and  art, 
for  vanity  was  weakness,  and  the  president  being  with- 
out it,  thought  only  of  his  purpose.  She  realized  that 
in  a  contest  with  such  a  person  the  strength  of  her  cause 
would  be  the  only  basis  on  which  she  might  hope  to  suc- 
ceed. 

"You  misunderstand,  Mr.  President,"  she  said. 
"I  merely  desired  to  assert  that  as  I  can  not  give  my 
consent  to  this  suit  or  court  proceeding,  it  will  not  be 
necessary  for  Judge  Brewer  to  read  the  petition  or  for 
me  to  verify  it.  I  have  given  this  matter  much  thought 
and  I  wish  to  propose  a  different  solution  altogether 
of  what  President  Adams  calls  the  great  problem.  But 
I  cannot  sign  or  verify  the  petition  or  authorize  you  to 
proceed  in  my  name." 

The  statesmen  and  lawyers  looked  at  one  another. 
They  did  not  comprehend.  Judge  Brewer  leaned  over 
toward  the  president  as  if  proposing  to  whisper  to  him, 


242  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

but  said  nothing.  Secretary  Endicott  alone  remained 
undisturbed. 

"This  decision  of  mine  seems  to  surprise  you," 
resumed  Helen,  after  a  pause.  "You  have  never 
doubted  that  I  would  gladly  accept  this  responsibility 
which  you  imagine  any  person  should  covet,  because 
you  call  it  wealth.  But  why  does  the  government 
want  to  avoid  it?  Why  does  Your  Excellency,  full  of 
wisdom  and  experience  as  you  are,  wish  to  shift  the 
burden  and  place  it  on  the  shoulders  of  a  young  woman 
without  experience?  This  vast,  concentrated  estate 
is  not  necessary  to  my  happiness  and  I  do  not  want 
it." 

Helen  had  become  quite  animated  now  and  felt 
conscious  of  the  superiority  of  her  position  and  its  con- 
sequent strength. 

"She  is  beautiful,  and  she  is  wise,  too,"  thought 
Endicott.  "What  a  fool  one  has  to  be  to  allow  him- 
self to  be  submerged  by  wealth  and  worry." 

"Miss  Channing,"  said  President  Adams,  at  last, 
speaking  with  impressive  dignity,  "you  owe  something 
to  your  country,  if  not  to  humanity.  I  cannot  con- 
ceive that  you  speak  seriously.  I  and  my  associates 
have  planned  to  re  tore  this  estate  to  the  legitimate  line. 
The  American  people  demand  it  and  they  also  demand 
that,  as  the  legitimate  heir,  you  should  accept  it  as  your 
duty." 

The  President's  dignity  became  severe  and  his  final 
words  were  uttered  imperiously.  Helen's  eyes  flashed. 
Rising  from  her  seat  she  approached  the  long  table  be- 
hind which  the  lawyers  and  the  president  sat. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  243 

"President  Adams!"  she  exclaimed,  "I  know  what 
you  have  attempted.  You  have  made  a  great  mistake. 
It  is  not  my  duty  to  accept  this  burden  and  it  is  not  the 
duty  of  any  living  person  to  do  so.  You  and  the 
school  of  economists  to  which  you  belong  choose  to  call 
this  property  mine.  It  is  not  mine,  but  belongs  to 
those  who  created  it.  You  can  never  make  it  possible 
for  me  to  enjoy  this  wealth  which  others  have  created, 
and  which  I  can  only  use  to  establish  my  right  to  ad- 
minister it.  No  doubt  you  really  believe  I  am  needed 
to  hold  together  this  great  system  which  the  Rockefeller 
family  have  invented.  It  was  for  this  reason  that 
Your  Excellency  has  surrounded  me,  your  guest,  with 
the  luxury  and  circumstance  of  royalty.  Your  de- 
pendents, apprehending  your  purpose  and  feeling  that 
they  should  aid  you  in  their  own  way,  presume  to  in- 
terfere also,  and  instead  of  being  the  royal  creature  you 
would  have  me  believe  myself,  I  find  that,  in  all  my 
luxury,  in  my  splendid  apartments  and  among  my  gor- 
geous attendants,  I  am  only  a  captive  after  all." 

The  president  did  not  interrupt  her.  All  sat  silent 
and  serious  as  Helen  spoke,  as  if  they  thought  it  scarcely 
worth  while  to  enter  into  a  discussion  and  did  not  under- 
stand how  to  handle  this  unexpected  incident. 

"You  are  silent,  gentlemen,  and  feel  that  your 
difficulties  are  increasing,"  continued  Helen,  after  a 
pause.  "You  will  scarcely  believe  that  any  advice 
I  can  offer  you  would  be  acceptable.  But  I  have  re- 
fused to  receive  the  estate  of  Morgan  Rockefeller  as 
my  own,  because  I  am  sure  there  is  a  far  better  way  to 
dispose  of  it.  Let  it  be  restored  to  those  who  created 
it.     Let  the  burdens  be  borne  equally  by  the  people." 


244  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

Helen  was  aware  that  the  gentleman  before  her 
did  not  consider  her  opinions  of  sufficient  import- 
ance to  provoke  even  a  sneer. 

"You  cannot  be  expected,  Miss  Helen,"  said  the 
president,  "to  understand  those  things.  Your  views 
are  not  practical." 

"I  am  afraid,  Mr.  President,"  resumed  Helen, 
"that  no  views  which  can  be  expressed  at  this  time  are 
practical.  But  this  must  be  finally  and  positively 
understood — that  I  will  not  be  a  party  to  any  effort 
which  is  directed  to  breaking  my  uncle's  will." 

"But,"  remonstrated  the  president,  as  if  he  had 
resolved  to  treat  Helen's  attitude  as  a  mild  burst  of 
insanity,  "Judge  Brewer,  who  is  very  high  authority  on 
these  subjects — I  think  I  may  say,  the  highest  author- 
ity in  America — tells  us  that  the  federal  government 
has  no  power  or  capacity  to  act  as  trustee.  Therefore, 
this  devise  is  invalid,  and  will  be  set  aside  on  my  per- 
sonal application  to  the  court.  But  I  prefer  not  to  act 
in  this  proceeding.  As  the  benefit  is  yours,  I  have  felt 
that  you  should  appeal  to  the  court.  Now  that  the 
people  are  determined  to  have  the  matter  settled  in  your 
favor,  if  you  will  not  make  the  appeal,  I  must  do  so." 

"If  Your  Excellency  could  think  it  possible  for  any 
suggestion  of  mine  to  be  worthy  of  consideration,"  re- 
turned Helen,  "I  would  be  glad  to  submit  a  plan  for  the 
removal  of  the  burden  of  this  estate  from  the  govern- 
ment as  well  as  from  your  shoulders  and  mine."  Helen 
then  gave  them  an  outline  of  the  history  of  the  Reapers 
of  the  World  and  its  purpose  as  a  fraternal  organization. 
Endicott  seemed  to  be  deeply  interested,  but  the  Presi- 
dent looked  up  now  and  then,  and  smiled  more  with 
amusement  than  sarcasm. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  245 

"Now  my  plan  is  this,"  continued  Helen,  after 
she  had  stated  as  much  of  the  history  of  the  order  as 
she  thought  necessary  to  an  understanding  of  the  pur- 
pose. "The  Reapers  of  the  World  will  offer  the  ex- 
ecutor of  the  will  of  Morgan  Rockefeller  a  fair  and  reas- 
onable price  for  the  entire  estate." 

"Do  you  know  how  much  that  would  be?"  asked 
the  President,  smiling  incredulously.  "The  estate  is 
valued  at  three  hundred  billion  dollars." 

"The  Reapers  can  pay  that,"  replied  Helen. 

The  President  looked  up  suddenly,  and  throwing 
down  the  pencil  with  which  he  had  been  nervously 
making  grotesque  figures  on  paper  as  he  listened  indif- 
ferently to  what  was  being  said  by  the  girl,  turned 
and  gazed  searchingly  into  her  face. 

"Is  this  heir  of  Rockefeller  really  demented?"  he 
thought.  Then  he  asked  aloud,  thinking  that  he 
would  quickly  show  her  how  foolish  her  remarks  were: 
"How  many  members  of  this  secret  society  have  you 
who  are  paying  a  dollar  a  month  into  a  trust  fund?" 

"We  have  twenty  thousand  members,"  she  an- 
swered, "and  I  am  told  that  we  have  two  hundred  and 
fifty   thousand   dollars." 

The  President's  eyes  flashed  in  anger.  "There!"  he 
exclaimed.  "I  thought  so.  The  people  are  always 
developing  follies  and  I  think  your  family  did  well  to 
place  secret  fraternal  combinations  under  the  ban. 
How  long  do  you  think  it  would  take  to  pay  three  hun- 
dred billion  dollars  at  that  rate?  Twenty  thousand  a 
month  would  be  two  hundred  and  forty  thousand  a 
year.  It  would  take  you  a  million  and  a  quarter  years 
to  pay  for  it." 


246  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

"I  expected  this,"  quietly  remarked  Helen.  "If 
the  estate  should,  under  the  provisions  of  the  will,  sell 
this  property  to  the  Reapers  of  the  World — " 

"Then  the  Reapers  of  the  World  would  be  a  monopoly 
and  the  twenty  thousand  members  would  be  plutocrats 
and  lord  it  over  the  rest  of  us!"  interrupted  the  Presi- 
dent. 

"I  would  not  expect  Your  Excellency  to  sell  to  the 
Reapers  without  imposing  conditions, "explained  Helen. 
"If  you  sold  this  estate  on  the  installment  plan,  as  I 
would  suggest,  my  supposition  is  that  you  would  re- 
quire the  order  to  admit  every  citizen  of  the  United 
States  of  good  character  into  its  ranks.  This  would 
mean  every  man  and  woman.  You  would  also  require 
that  the  children  of  all  members  would  be  admitted  at 
a  certain  age.  The  only  condition  would  be  that  each 
subscribe  to  the  constitution  and  by-laws  of  the  order. 
The  payment  of  one  dollar  per  month  would,  if  all  the 
adult  citizens  'joined,'  amount  to  about  eighty  mil- 
lion dollars  per  month  or  nine  hundred  and  sixty  mil- 
lion a  year.  That  would  be  nine  billion  six  hundred 
million  in  ten  years  and  in  a  little  more  than  three  hun- 
dred years  the  full  amount  would  be  paid." 

Judge  Brewer  had  thrown  himself  back  in  his 
chair  and  was  following  the  speaker's  words  with  deep 
interest  and  close  attention. 

"But,"  he  interposed,  "if  Miss  Channing  will  per- 
mit me  to  ask  her,  do  you  not  think  the  burden  thus 
placed  on  your  order  would  be  too  heavy?  Three 
hundred  billion  is  a  vast  debt." 

"Do  I  understand  correctly,  that  the  will'  devises 
this  estate  to  the  government  for  the  benefit  of  the 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  247 

people?  "asked  Helen.  "Paying  to  the  government  is 
paying  to  the  people — that  was  the  theory,  at  any  rate, 
which  our  revolutionary  ancestors  had.  If  the 
government  did  its  duty  and  carried  out  the  terms  of 
the  will,  it  would  find  no  better  method  of  distributing 
the  annual  or  monthly  payments  made  by  the  order 
than  to  return  them  to  the  fraternal  treasury  immedi- 
ately. It  might  be  a  matter  of  mere  bookkeeping.  Cer- 
tainly the  government  would  not  allow  a  surplus  to 
accumulate." 

Judge  Brewer  nodded  his  head  and  smiled  ap- 
provingly. Not  so  the  President.  As  a  practical  poli- 
tician and  statesman,  the  latter  had  no  confidence  in 
any  but  established,  tested  and  time  honored  systems. 
All  else  was  theory.  Besides,  he,  like  most  rulers  who 
depend  on  force  to  secure  stability  and  permanence  in 
society,  had  no  confidence  in  human  nature. 

"Your  fraternal  society  would  be  a  mob.  You 
would  have  a  million  different  opinions.  You  could  do 
no  business  and  you  would  break  up  in  a  riot,"  he  de- 
clared. 

Helen  felt  that  she  had  won  the  attention  of  these 
men  and  somehow,  it  seemed  to  her  that  Judge  Brewer 
understood  her. 

"The  fraternal  society  would  not  do  any  business," 
she  explained.  "I  understand  that  in  1908  many  fra- 
ternal societies  existed.  If  a  member  paid  his  dues  for 
years  and  then  failed  to  pay,  he  forfeited  all  benefits. 
They  were  in  the  habit  of  investing  their  surplus  in 
bonds  or  stocks.  But  they  did  no  business  except  to 
send  their  treasurer  over  to  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
corporation  and  vote  the  stock.     When  dividends  were 


248  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

paid  on  the  stock  or  interest  on  the  bonds  the  fraternal 
treasurer  collected  both.  But  the  corporations  were 
operated  on  a  scientific  business  basis.  Suppose  in 
1908  my  honored  ancestor,  John  D.  Rockefeller,  had 
been  a  fraternal  order  instead  of  a  commercial  auto- 
crat. Don't  you  suppose  that  business  would  have 
continued?  I  simply  propose  that  the  Reapers  of  the 
World  take  the  stock  held  by  the  Standard  Oil  Trust 
and  hold  it  as  the  trust  has  done.  The  geniuses  of  the 
business  world  will  still  do  the  practical  business." 

"Well,"  said  the  President  with  a  sigh,  "I  can  see 
that  it  will  be  best  to  defer  this  conference  to  another 
time.  Gentlemen,"  he  continued,  turning  to  the  At- 
torney General  and  Secretary  Endicott,  "I  have  an- 
other appointment  and  it  may  be  well  for  us  to  with- 
draw now.  Judge  Brewer,  will  you  call  at  the  Execu- 
tive office  tomorrow  afternoon?" 

The  gentlemen  took  their  leave  of  Helen  in  the 
formal  manner  which  the  President's  etiquette  required 
and  left  her  alone.  Secetary  Endicott  could  not  re- 
sist the  impulse  to  say  to  her,  however,  as  he  bade  her 
adieu:  "Miss  Helen,  I  may  not  agree  with  your  con- 
clusions, but  I  admire  your  courage  in  attempting  to 
reject  the  estate  and  your  skill  in  presenting  your  the- 
ories." He  did  not  accompany  the  President  to  his 
apartments,  but  as  he  turned  to  go  in  another  direction, 
he  was  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  President  and  Judge 
Brewer  had  become  earnestly  involved  in  a  discussion 
as  they  moved  away. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 
REVELATIONS. 

Moreland  Hughes,  for  distinguished  services  in 
Colombia  and  in  recognition  of  his  unusual  abilities, 
had  been  elevated  by  the  Estate  to  the  position  of  Com- 
mander in  Chief  of  Standard's  Detective  Department, 
with  the  title  of  General.  As  such,  he  was  the  best 
informed  man  in  America  as  to  what  the  people  thought 
and  how  the  people  felt. 

The  day  after  Helen  announced  her  unwillingness 
to  commence  proceedings  to  obtain  title  to  the  Estate, 
General  Hughes  called  at  the  executive  office. 

The  call  was  opportune  and  the  President  greeted 
him  cordially. 

"General,"  said  the  Chief  Magistrate,  "you  realize 
that,  as  a  statesman,  I  have  had  little  sympathy  with 
some  of  the  practical  regulations  of  the  Rockefellers. 
Morgan  prohibited  secret  or  fraternal  associations  on 
pain  of  dismissal  from  the  System's  service.  His  the- 
ory was  that  the  members  of  those  organizations  might 
co-operate  industrially  and  interrupt  his  autocratic 
business  plans.  The  rule  which  he  inforced  I  have  can- 
celled and  I  allow  the  people  a  larger  measure  of  per- 
sonal liberty.     Now,  after  a  year  has  elapsed  since 


250  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

Morgan's  death,  I  believe  secret  and  fraternal  associ- 
ations have  become  a  menace  to  the  stability  of  the 
Estate.  You  can  give  me  some  information  in  regard 
to  these  matters  and  I  am  glad  you  came  in." 

The  President's  knowledge  with  regard  to  fraternal 
associations  did  not  extend  beyond  the  facts  he  had 
heard  from  Helen  about  the  Reapers  of  the  World. 

"Your  Excellency  must  know,"  said  the  General, 
replying  to  the  President's  statement  as  if  it  were  a 
question,  "that  I  have  repeatedly  called  attention  to 
this  subject  at  the  Department  of  War,  but  have  been 
as  often  assured  that  Your  Excellency's  policy  was  not 
to  interfere.  For  that  reason  I  am  resolved  to  present 
the  facts  which  I  have  gathered  to  Your  Excellency, 
personally.  Your  Excellency  should  know  that  many 
secret  societies  have  sprung  up  in  the  last  year  and  one 
of  them  is  already  planning  treason  against  the  Estate." 

The  President  was  not,  surprised  at  this  statement, 
but  he  thought  of  what  Helen  had  said  the  day  before, 
and  did  not  doubt  that  General  Hughes  had  reference 
to  the  Reapers  of  the  World. 

"I  know,"  he  remarked.  "The  society  you  refer 
to  has  about  twenty  thousand  members." 

"I  am  certain  it  has  over  two  hundred  thousand  in 
St.  Louis  alone,"  declared  the  General. 

"Two  hundred  thousand!  Indeed!  I  was  not  cor- 
rectly   informed." 

The  President  began  to  think  the  Reapers  had 
more  ability  to  achieve  results  through  numbers  than 
he  supposed.  "Perhaps,  after  all,  Helen  was  right," 
he  thought.  "If  there  are  two  hundred  thousand  in 
St.  Louis  alone,  there  must  be  many  times  that  number 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  251 

in  the  nation."  The  President's  anxiety  was  to  di- 
vorce the  political  and  economic  systems.  He  was 
never  concerned  about  Helen  Channing  so  much  as  he 
was  for  the  nation  and  the  Estate. 

"Your  Excellency  has,  perhaps,  read  my  report 
on  this  subject  filed  at  the  War  office?"  suggested 
Hughes. 

The  President  became  interested  and  sent  for  the 
report. 

To  his  surprise,  it  did  not  refer  to  the  Reapers  of 
the  World.     It  was  also  very  brief. 

"The  Society  of  Silence,"  said  the  report,  "pre- 
tends to  have  for  its  object  the  retention  of  the  Rock- 
efeller estate  by  the  government.  It  has  grown  up 
in  the  six  weeks  succeeding  the  arrival  of  Miss  Helen 
Channing  in  St.  Louis  and  has,  in  the  most  secret  man- 
ner, increased  its  membership  from  a  few  hundred  to 
several  millions.  Each  member  is  required  to  take  an 
oath  to  defend  with  his  life  the  nation's  right  to  the 
Rockefeller  estate  and  particularly  to  resist  the  claims 
of  Helen  Channing  to  acquire  the  title  which  Morgan 
Rockefeller  devised  to  the  American  people.  At  that 
time  the  main  demonstration  is  to  be  at  the  capital 
city  and  the  chiefs  of  the  society  have  decreed  the 
death  of  Miss  Channing.  The  men  who  have  organized 
and  compose  this  order  are  fanatical  in  the  extreme 
and  should  they  prevail,  a  revolution  like  that  which 
occurred  two  hundred  years  ago  in  France  will  be  en- 
acted. The  plans  of  the  conspirators  can  not  be 
learned  in  detail  as  the  most  extraordinary .  secrecy 
prevails." 


252  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

"What!"  exclaimed  the  President,  when  he  had 
finished  reading.  "Why  has  this  not  been  brought  to 
my  attention  before?" 

"The  report  was  filed  yesterday,"  replied  the 
General.  "The  facts  came  to  my  notice  by  accident, 
and  I  have  spent  my  time  since,  in  verifying  them. 
The  most  remarkable  deception  with  which  a  nation 
ever  masked  its  real  feelings  has  been  practiced,  for  to 
all  outward  appearance  the  people  were  either  unani- 
ously  satisfied  with  the  President's  policy  or  indifferent 
to  it." 

The  President  looked  at  the  General  coldly  and 
almost  severely.  He  had  the  fullest  confidence  in  the 
man,  but  he  was  inclined  to  feel  that  so  important  a 
matter  should  have  been  discovered  and  communicated 
to  him  before.  Besides  this,  the  President  was  nat- 
urally antagonistic  to  any  movement  of  the  people 
which  did  not  find  its  inspiration  in  the  teachings  of 
the  most  conservative  thinkers. 

"Am  I  to  understand,"  he  asked,  "that  a  revolu- 
tion is  proposed  by  this  treacherous  association  of  con- 
spirators of  which  you  speak?" 

"Such  is  the  plan,  as  far  as  can  be  learned,"  was 
the  answer. 

"When  do  you  anticipate  that  the  conspirators 
will  carry  out  their  plans?" 

"It  is  impossible  to  learn,  Your  Excellency.  Such 
is  the  secrecy  with  which  the  plans  of  the  society  are 
guarded  that  only  one  man  in  each  city  has  that  know- 
ledge. All  I  can  say  is  that  the  first  assault  will  be 
made  on  the  White  House  and  that  it  is  expected  to  be 
ordered  soon.    As  I  have  stated,  the    purpose  of  the 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  253 

assault  will  be  to  gain  possession  of  the  person 
of  Miss  Channing  and  the  conspirators,  who  are  ac- 
cepting the  French  revolution  of  two  centuries  ago  as  a 
model,  intend  to  try  Miss  Channing  for  treason  in 
having  attempted  to  acquire  the  Rockefeller  estate, 
and  it  is  anticipated  that  her  trial  will  be  like  that  of 
Marie  Antoinette  and  her  punishment,  when  found 
guilty,  death.  You  can  have  no  doubt  that  she  is  pre- 
judged and  the  members  of  the  Society  of  Silence  have 
already  condemned  her  to  execution." 

The  President  was  surprised  and  not  a  little  dis- 
turbed, but  h~  doubted  not  that  he  could  compel  com- 
plete submission  to  his  will.  It  was  a  revelation, 
however,  which  he  had  not  in  the  least  suspected. 

"It  is  another  proof  of  the  unreliability  of  the  peo- 
ple," declared  the  President.  'They  have  certainly 
been  very  unjust,  even  when  measured  by  their  own 
standards,  toward  Miss  Channing.  Only  yesterday 
she  positively  refused  to  participate  in  any  movement 
to  place  the  title  to  the  estate  in  her  name  or  exercise 
control  over  it." 

General  Hughes,  as  a  member  of  the  Reapers  of 
the  World,  was  devoted  to  Helen  as  the  founder  of  the 
order,  and  was  better  acquainted  with  her  affiliations 
than  the  President  was.  But  her  absence  from  the 
meetings  of  the  order  and  her  environments  and  the 
reports  in  the  public  prints  concerning  her  aspirations 
and  expectations  had  produced  a  nebulous  doubt  in 
his  mind.  He  was  delighted  to  learn  from  the  Presi- 
dent's own  lips  that  Helen  was  true  to  her  pledges,  for 
General  Hughes  had  become  a  most  zealous  believer 
in  fraternalism  as  a  remedy  for  economic  evils. 


-254  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

The  President's  conference  with  General  Hughes 
was  long  and  earnest  and,  as  a  result,  it  was  decided  to 
leave  the  White  House  on  the  following  day,  ostensi- 
bly as  an  incident  to  the  management  of  the  estate, 
and  that  Helen  should  be  installed  with  the  family  of 
the  President,  for  greater  security,  in  the  unapproach- 
able fastnesses  of  Montraven  Castle. 

General  Hughes,  dressed  in  citizen's  clothes,  left 
the  executive  office  and  in  accordance  with  his  policy 
to  attract  as  little  attention  to  his  person  as  possible, 
walked  back  to  the  city.  It  will  be  remembered  by 
those  who  are  acquainted  with  St.  Louis  that  the 
government  buildings  are  on  the  south  side  of  the  city 
and  that  the  public  and  family  hotels  which  occupy 
thousands  of  acres  in  that  beautiful  district  are  occu- 
pied exclusively  by  members  of  the  government  and 
those  engaged  in  the  hotel  service.  This  district  is 
about  fourteen  miles  from  Montraven  Castle  and  the 
vast  modern  city  extends  between  and  all  around  these 
aristocratic  centers. 

As  the  General  entered  the  business  part  of  the 
city  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  crowds  on  the  streets 
were  greater  than  usual.  On  every  square,  people 
stood  in  groups,  but  appeared  rather  to  be  waiting  than 
to  be  entertained  by  present  diversions.  He  stopped 
several  times  and  spoke  to  persons  whom  he  knew  and 
among  them  several  members  of  the  Reapers  of  the 
World.  He  well  knew  that  there  were  no  disturbers 
among  these  and  that  their  sentiments  were  invariably 
patriotic. 

''What  are  these  crowds  for?"  he  asked  one  of 
them,  an  old  man  whose  long  white  hair  flowed  down 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  255 

his  back,  but  who  stood  as  straight  and  walked  as 
briskly  as  if  he  had  hardly  seen  twenty-five  winters, 

"I  can't  make  out,"  was  the  answer.  'The  people 
say  little  and  seem  sullen.  I  think  from  what  I  have 
heard  they  are  waiting  for  the  factories  and  shops  to 
close.     I  don't  know  why." 

"How  many  Reapers  are  there  in  St.  Louis?" 
asked  the  General. 

"About  sixteen  hundred,"  answered  the  old  man. 

"Brother,  I  fear  treachery!'  whispered  the  Gen- 
eral, catching  the  old  man  by  the  arm.  "Go!"  he 
commanded.  "Find  the  Reapers  everywhere  and  do 
it  as  quickly  as  you  can.  Miss  Helen  Channing  is  in 
danger  and  she  is  true  as  steel  to  the  purpose  of  our 
order.  I  have  this  day  learned  from  the  President's 
own  lips  that  she  has  been  offered  the  Estate  and  has 
positively  rejected  it." 

The  man,  an  old  fraternalist  and  one  of  the  charter 
members  of  the  order  knew  General  Hughes  and  re- 
garded him  as  the  chief  hope  of  the  order,  next  to 
Helen  Channing.  He  listened  to  the  General's  account 
of  his  interview  with  the  President  with  the  deepest 
concern  and  some  agitation.  The  Reapers  had  never 
really  questioned  Helen's  loyalty  and  notwithstanding 
the  daily  prints  had  magnified  her  movements  and  had 
openly  advocated  what  it  pleased  them  to  call  her 
"vindication"  she  was  trusted  implicitly  by  the  order 
which  she  had  founded,  and  on  occasions  she  had  been 
able  to  send  them  messages  of  encouragement  and  re- 
assurance. Still  the  old  man  was  glad  to  have  further 
proof  of  her  devotion  to  the  cause. 


256  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

"I  believe,  General/'  he  said,  "these  unusual 
crowds  have  something  to  do  with  this  infamous  plot 
which  you  mention.  I  will  waste  no  time,  but  where 
shall  our  people  meet?" 

"Tell  them  to  go  to  the  park  in  front  of  the  White 
House  immediately." 

Hughes  saw  the  old  man  hurry  away  and  hastened 
to  the  Central  station  of  the  Standard,  himself.  There, 
he  communicated  with  the  President  by  telephone. 
As  a  result  the  President  decided  to  transfer  his  house- 
hold and  guest  to  Montraven  at  once.  A  little  later, 
the  General  learned  that  the  President  had  sent  to  ask 
Helen  to  prepare  to  make  the  change  and  was  in- 
formed that  she,  accompanied  by  Secretary  Endicott 
and  Mrs.  Locksley,  who  had  arrived  from  Boston, 
were  autoing  in  the  country. 

The  President  dispatched  messengers  in  all  direc- 
tions with  instructions  to  intercept  Helen  and  request 
her  to  avoid  the  White  House  and  go  to  Montraven 
instead.  He  had  no  doubt,  because  of  the  number  of 
such  messengers,  that  she  and  her  party  would  be  ap- 
prised of  the  danger  and,  having  taken  all  the  precaution 
possible  to  secure  their  safety,  gave  directions  to  have 
all,  except  the  soldiers  whom  he  caused  to  be  stationed 
within,  to  avail  themselves  of  the  underground  passages 
which  proceeded  from  the  White  House  to  different 
points,  and  to  make  their  way  to  Montraven  so  as  to 
attract  little  notice.  The  President  was  not  apprehen- 
sive of  present  danger  but  deemed  that  the  prestige  of 
the  government  should  not  be  jeopardized  and  that  he 
should  take  no  chances  in  such  a  case. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 
THE  SOCIETY  OF  SILENCE. 

"I  declare!"  exclaimed  Secretary  Endicott,  con- 
sulting his  watch  as  the  auto  sped  swiftly  along  the 
beautiful  avenue  beyond  St.  Louis.  "It  is  later  than  I 
thought.  It  is  now  seven  o'clock  and  it  will  be  three 
hours  before  we  can  reach  the  White  House.  I  think 
we  had  better  turn  back,  Miss  Channing." 

"Indeed!  I  am  sure  we  should,"  said  Helen  in  sur- 
prise. "Kindly  tell  the  chauffeur  to  turn  back,  Mr. 
Endicott,"  she  requested.  "Have  you  enjoyed  the  ride, 
Auntie?"  she  asked  of  Mrs.  Locksley  who  sat  by  her 
side,  the  picture  of  contentment. 

"Yes,  indeed!  I  have  enjoyed  the  scenery  because 
it  is  new  and  because  it  is  wonderfully  good  to  be  with 
you  again,  Helen,"  replied  Mrs.  Locksley.  "  It  is  not 
like  Boston,  though,"  she  continued.  "I  would  like  it 
better  if  we  were  in  Boston." 

Secretary  Endicott  smiled  with  amusement.  "Well, 
Boston  is  delightful  to  those  who  know  it  well,"  he  re- 
marked. The  auto  was  now  speeding  back  swiftly 
over  the  smooth  pavement  toward  the  city. 

"Judge  Brewer  said  last  evening  that  he  believed 
your  fraternal  plan  is  a  solution  of  the  problem  of  so- 


258  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

cial  and  domestic  life,"  observed  Mr.  Endicott,  chang- 
ing the  subject  and  addressing  Helen.  "He  was 
greatly  impressed  with  your  idea  and  declared  that  he 
was  going  to  look  into  it  and  make  a  legal  study  of  its 
possibilities.  I  suspect,  however,  that  the  fraternal 
system  is  too  visionary  to  be  applied  practically." 
"Don't  you  believe,  Mr.  Endicott,"  asked  Helen 
very  earnestly,  "what  Jesus  of  Nazareth  really  did 
teach  was,  that  the  world  would  grow  better  and  be 
saved  just  in  proportion  as  it  abandoned  its  rule  of 
force  and  adopted  those  policies  of  liberality  and  moder- 
ation which  are  dictated  by  love?  Wasn't  love  rather 
than  force  his  remedy?  What  is  liberty  which  men 
prize  so  much  and  which  latter-day  nations  take  pride 
in  extending  to  their  people?  Is  it  not  a  love-light 
which  the  spirit  of  Christianity  has  lit  along  the  ave- 
nues of  Intelligence  and  Hope?  No  heathen  or  pagan 
nation,  and  no  non-christian  civilization  ever  enjoyed 
liberty  such  as  now  prevails  in  nations  which  accept 
Christianity.  In  such  countries  and  such  civiliza- 
tions the  rule  is  autocratic  and  peace  and  security 
are  dependent  on  Force  rather  than  Love.  Where 
force  is  the  rule  the  people  are  nearly  always 
turbulent  and  then  religious  fanaticism  is  intolerant 
and  dangerous.  Do  you  not  recall  that  in  the  early 
periods  of  our  national  history,  the  hordes  of  ignorant, 
suspicious  and  impoverished  immigrants  were  con- 
verted in  one  generation  by  free  schools  and  the  abso- 
lute protection  afforded  for  religious  worship  into 
orderly  and  intelligent  as  well  as  liberal  citizens?  It 
was  Christ's  spirit  of  brotherly  love  extended,  so  to 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  259 

speak,  to  the  Gentiles.  Where  all  restrictions  are  re- 
moved from  religious  worship  the  prejudices  which  in- 
cite the  sects  to  cruelty  and  intolerance  disappear  and 
brotherly  love  enters  the  system.  I  think  the  policy 
of  force,  which  the  old  governments  have  stood  for,  is 
an  obstacle  to  the  happiness  of  man  and  that  they  have 
done  more  to  disturb  and  agitate  society  than  to  es- 
tablish security.  The  Caesars  and  Napoleons  were  all 
impractical  and  ended  in  disaster  and  ruin  with  the 
systems  which  they  advocated  and  for  which  they  bat- 
tled incessantly  and  fruitlessly.  Christ's  system  is  the 
only  practical  one  and,  so  far  as  it  has  been  established, 
is  the  only  lasting  one." 

Endicott  smiled  and  assented.  "You  are  right, 
Miss  Channing,"  he  said.  "Your  views  are  absolutely 
correct  and  indisputable.  But  while  they  are  correct 
and  indisputable,  you  may  be  sure  that  the  world  will 
go  right  on  ignoring  their  correctness  and  will  grovel 
and  battle  and  suffer  just  as  it  always  has  done.  You 
cannot  make  this  world  perfect  in  a  day  or  a  genera- 
tion." 

"Is  it  not  unfair,  Mr.  Endicott,"  returned  Helen, 
"to  insist  that,  because  I  believe  we  can  find  a  way  to 
approach  more  nearly  to  the  high  ideal  of  justice,  by 
distributing  rent,  interest  and  profits  where  they  will 
do  good,  rather  than  to  let  them  accumulate  in  the 
hands  of  those  who  do  not  need  them,  I  am  therefore 
expecting  to  reach  heaven  in  a  single  bound?" 

"Have  you  not  proposed  a  greater  task  than  the 
world  is  ready  to  perform?"  suggested  the  Secretary. 

"Not  greater  than  the  world  is  ready  to  perform 
if  it  can  get  a  system  by  which  to  perform  it!"  replied 


260  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

Helen.  "My  ancestors  are  distinguished  and  are  en- 
titled to  distinction,  because  they  not  only  provided  a 
system  for  men  to  work  in,  but  also  found  means  to 
compel  men  to  work  in  in  that  system.  The  world 
went  to  school  to  Rockefeller  number  one  and  has  been 
learning  from  all  the  Rockefellers  since.  The  world 
learned  the  system  and  its  application.  I  sometimes 
think  that  God's  first  instrument,  when  he  finds  the 
people  ready  for  a  new  system,  is  a  dictator  whom  he 
invests  with  autocratic  power.  Such  have  been  my 
ancestors.  But  the  time  has  come  for  another  great 
step  forward  and  the  fraternal  principle  may  be  intro- 
duced into  the  Rockefeller  system.  This  will  not 
make  men  angels.  I  do  not  contend  that.  But  it  will 
take  away  many  of  the  excuses  which  men  offer  for 
wrong  doing.  It  will  remove  the  incentive  for  those 
evils  which  are  maintained  for  purely  commercial  pur- 
poses. It  will  place  the  competitive  conflict  on  a 
higher  plane  than  that  where  the  necessaries  of  physi- 
cal life  are  the  sole  reward.  Competition  for  mental 
and  spiritual  gain  alone  is  worth  the  struggle." 

The  auto  had  now  come  to  one  of  the  Rest  Houses 
which  the  Rockefeller  Supply  Company  maintains 
along  the  main  avenues  of  travel  in  the  rural  districts. 
Secretary  Endicott  suggested  that  they  stop  and  par- 
take of  refreshments  and  this  having  been  done,  they 
continued  their  trip  and  the  auto  sped  on  its  way 
with  the  rapidity  of  a  meteor. 

It  was  nearly  nine  o'clock  when  they  saw  the 
dome  of  the  capital  in  the  distance.  As  they  approached 
it,  however,  they  became  aware  that  dense  crowds  had 
gathered  in  that  vicinity  and  that  so  me  excitement  of 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  261 

an  unusual  character  was  attracting  people  there  in 
great  numbers.  Soon  the  crowds  were  so  dense  as  to 
impede  travel.  The  chauffeur  slowed  up  and  in  the 
twilight  the  faces  which  were  turned  to  Helen  seemed 
to  wear  an  expression  of  anger  and  disdain.  Helen  at 
first  regarded  it  as  merely  a  fancy  on  her  part,  but  as 
the  auto  proceeded  slowly  the  occupants  noticed  that 
the  crowds  closed  in  to  the  rear  and  grew  denser  and 
were  less  willing  to  open  their  ranks  in  front. 

"What  is  the  occasion  of  this  gathering?"  Endi- 
cott  asked  of  several  of  the  bystanders;  but  they  only 
looked  at  him  and  made  no  answer. 

Suddenly  a  large,  powerful  man  in  the  crowd 
seized  the  chauffeur  and  pulled  him  roughly  from  his 
seat  on  the  slowly  running  car  and  quickly  took  the 
latter's  place  and  brought  the  auto  to  a  stop. 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  this?"  demanded  the 
Secretary,  while  Helen  and  Mrs.  Locksley  stood  up 
in  agitation. 

The  large  man  on  the  seat  jumped  down,  but  did 
not  answer.  The  crowd  was  so  dense  now  that  it 
pressed  closely  against  the  auto  on  all  sides.  Not  a 
man  spoke.  The  silence  of  that  vast  multitude 
seemed  uncanny,  and  a  dread  arose  even  in  the  stout 
heart  of  the  Secretary.  The  faces  of  Helen  and  Mrs. 
Locksley  were  pale,  but  their  courage  did  not  forsake 
them.  As  for  the  latter,  she  was  ready  to  do  battle 
for  Helen  even  to  the  death. 

"What  do  you  men  mean?"  she  cried  out  to  the 
crowd.  "Why  do  you  stand  in  the  way?  Don't  you 
know  that  this  is  Miss  Helen  Channing?" 


262  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

Still  there  was  no  answer.  Still  the  crowd  was 
silent. 

The  Secretary  moved  out  on  one  of  the  steps  of 
the  vehicle,  but  found  no  room  to  descend. 

''Open  your  ranks  and  let  us  pass,"  he  shouted. 
"John,"  he  directed,  speaking  to  the  chauffeur,  who 
was  attempting  to  regain  his  seat,  but  was  kept  back 
by  many  strong  hands,  "take  your  place  and  drive  on." 

"Let  me  go,"  yelled  the  chauffeur,  making  an  im- 
petuous effort  to  free  himself.  But  the  silent  men 
held  him  fast. 

"Why  do  you  not  speak?  What  is  the  matter? 
Why  is  this  crowd  here?"  again  demanded  the  Secre- 
tary. 

Then  there  were  shouts  heard  some  distance  away, 
and  a  tremor  seemed  to  stir  the  multitude,  but  still  it 
remained  silent.  The  men  became  active  and  made 
signs  to  one  another.  Nearly  all  of  them  except  those 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  auto  turned  toward 
the  direction  from  which  the  shouts  came.  Endicott, 
who  was  unable  to  comprehend  the  meaning  of  the 
demonstration  and  who  was  confounded  more  by  the 
silence  than  by  any  fear,  stood  erect  in  the  auto  and 
looked  around. 

"Be  seated,  ladies,"  he  said;  and  Helen  and  Mrs. 
Locksley  complied.  When  the  shouts  were  raised  in 
the  distance,  Endicott  noticed  that  the  silent  men 
around  him  drew  revolvers.  He  was  unarmed,  but, 
while  he  was  angry  and  felt  that  he  and  his  compan- 
ions were  being  hindered  in  their  progress,  it  did  not 
occur  to  him  that  this  hindrance  was  anything  more 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  263 

than  an  incident  of  some  unlawful  demonstration,  the 
cause  of  which  he  did  not  know. 

In  this  dilemma  he  could  do  nothing  but  glare  at 
the  men  who  silently  glared  at  him. 

"You  men  should  know  that  you  are  doing  us  a 
great  injustice  by  this  uncalled-for  interference,"  he 
ventured.  But,  although  the  men  heard  him,  they 
remained  silent. 

Suddenly  the  ranks  of  the  crowd  opened  and  a 
number  of  masked  men,  all  armed  with  rifles,  came 
marching  through  the  avenue,  one  of  them  leading. 
They  came  up  to  the  auto  and  the  leader  broke  the 
silence.  While  the  shouting  continued  in  the  distance 
he  spoke  in  a  loud,  clear  voice,  which  was  evidently 
partly  disguised,  and  said : 

"Secretary  Endicott,  we  know  you  and  have  no 
business  with  you.  We  represent  the  Society  of 
Silence,  whose  mission  is  to  act,  not  speak.  You  may 
go.  The  elderly  lady  with  you  may  go.  Helen 
Channing,  on  behalf  of  the  American  Republic  and  at 
the  instance  of  the  Society  of  Silence,  I  arrest  you  on 
a  charge  preferred  against  you — that  you  have  sought 
by  fraud,  diplomacy,  treachery  and  false  pretense  to 
take  from  the  Government  of  the  United  States  that 
estate  which  has  been  devised  to  it  by  Morgan  Rocke- 
feller, in  trust  for  the  people.  You  will  do  well  to 
submit  without  resistance;  but  if  you  refuse  to  accom- 
pany us  we  will  be  obliged  to  use  force." 

Endicott  was  standing  on  the  steps  of  the  auto 
in  the  same  position  which  he  occupied  when  the 
attack  on  the  chauffeur  occurred.  He  heard  the 
words  of  the  man  before  him.     Endicott  was  not  one 


264  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

who  became  excited.  He  coolly  surveyed  the  silent 
crowd,  and  when  the  leader  had  ceased  speaking,  with- 
out the  slightest  trace  of  anger  or  fear  in  his  manner 
or  voice,  he  said : 

"I  do  not  know  who  you  are  or  what  your  purpose 
may  be.  I  do  not  know  what  you  mean,  and  it  is 
not  to  you  that  Helen  Channing  or  myself  need  answer 
to  any  charges  which  you  may  make.  This  pretended 
charge  which  you  express  is  false.  But  whether  true 
or  false  I — William  C.  Endicott,  Secretary  of  War,  on 
behalf  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States  of 
America — demand  that  this  crowd  disperse  and  that 
you  cease  your  unlawful  conduct.  For  Miss  Helen 
Channing,  I  say  now,  that  she  refuses  to  submit  to 
your  insolent  and  unlawful  demand,  and  for  myself, 
I  refuse  to  permit  you  to  lay  hands  upon  her." 

Endicott  had  not  finished  when  the  masked 
leader  waved  aloft  a  cane  or  wand,  from  which  sprang 
a  flame  each  time  he  waved  it.  It  was  probably  a 
signal,  for,  as  the  one  concluded  his  speech  and  the 
other  lowered  the  cane,  three  men  sprang  forward  to 
the  car  and  attempted  to  lay  hold  of  the  Secretary. 
The  latter,  although  never  turbulent,  resisted  the 
assault  and  his  assailants  failed  to  reach  him.  The 
first  he  knocked  completely  down.  The  second  stag- 
gered back  into  the  crowd.  The  third  stepped  back 
in  time  to  avoid  the  fate  of  the  first.  But  all  three 
sprang  forward  again  and  others  came  to  their  aid. 

The  Secretary  was  pulled  from  the  auto  and  se- 
curely bound. 

Meantime  the  shouting  which  had  been  heard  in 
the  distance  had  become  louder  and  more  distinct,  and 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  265 

a  perfect  fusillade  of  explosions,  as  of  small  arms 
being  discharged,  was  heard.  The  crowd  around 
Helen  and  her  companions  was  apparently  agitated 
to  the  verge  of  panic.  Still  it  preserved  its  remark- 
able silence. 

The  masked  men,  having  secured  the  Secretary, 
again  started  for  the  auto  where  the  two  women, 
being  unable  to  find  a  way  of  escape  through  the 
wall  of  human  enemies  which  surrounded  them,  still 
remained.  Mrs.  Locksley  placed  herself  between  the 
assailants  and  Helen,  but  was  soon  brushed  aside. 
The  first  of  the  assailants  stepped  up  into  the  auto  and 
was  about  to  lay  hold  of  Helen  and  drag  her  to  the 
ground,  when  the  crowd  seemed  to  break  and  waver. 
A  tumult  arose  and  the  man  who  had  entered  the 
auto,  instead  of  seizing  his  victim,  drew  his  revolver 
and  jumped  to  the  ground  again. 

A  new  set  of  combatants  had  forced  its  way 
through  the  dense  crowd  and  many  had  fallen  before 
its  advance.  But  although  the  mass  wavered  and 
was  nearly  panic-stricken,  the  silence  was  continued 
and  the  multitude,  while  it  opened  a  passage  for  the 
shouting,  rushing  and  fighting  band,  closed  behind  it. 
The  Society  of  Silence,  obedient  to  the  signals  from 
the  leader's  fiery  wand,  and  fanatical  in  the  belief  that 
they  were  pursuing  a  policy  dictated  by  patriotism  and 
the  public  good,  stood  silent,  fast  and  firm. 

Helen  was  horrified. 

Her  experience  in  Watertown  came  vividly  to  her 
recollection. 

She  realized  now  that  she  was  the  object  of  this 
manifestation  of  discontent.    She  saw  men  fighting 


266  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

and  falling  around  her,  and  several  bullets  whistled 
past  her. 

But  she  neither  screamed  nor  fainted. 

Suddenly,  while  the  men  fought  in  the  darkness, 
and  just  as  those  who  appeared  to  be  forcing  their  way 
through  the  mass  of  silent  beings  who  surged  and 
crowded  around  her,  had  nearly  reached  her,  myriads 
of  great  flames  flashed  up  in  the  direction  of  the  White 
House.  A  deep  report,  like  an  explosion,  resounded 
through  the  air,  and  the  earth  trembled  and  rocked 
like  the  billows  of  the  ocean  The  detonation  of  the 
report  was  still  loud  when  it  was  followed  by  another 
nearer  and  more  awful  in  its  significance.  Still  an- 
other, and  yet  a  fourth  and  a  fifth  shook  the  earth 
and  flaring  red  flames  leaped  up  through  the  night 
and  seemed  to  blaze  to  the  very  moon  and  the  swinging 
stars.  Fragments  of  wood,  spars,  rock  and  earth  filled 
the  air  and  some  portions  of  them  flew  and  fell  on  the 
avenue  where  Helen's  auto  rocked  on  the  broken  pave- 
ment. The  smoke  became  stifling,  and  Helen,  fainting 
and  struck  by  a  flying  spar,  fell  over  the  side  of  the 
swaying  car  to  the  pavement,  bleeding  and  uncon- 
scious. 

The  combatants,  in  the  confusion  and  terror  of 
an  overwhelming  catastrophe,  ceased  their  contentions, 
but  the  members  of  the  Society  of  Silence  who  were  not 
overwhelmed  and  destroyed,  being  actuated  by  a  con- 
ception of  duty  rather  than  influenced  by  great  love, 
forgetting  their  purpose  and  plan,  fled  precipitately, 
leaving  their  dead  and  wounded  where  they  had  been 
stricken  by  foe  or  falling  debris. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 
THE  LAW  OF  FORCE. 

A  revelation  of  horrors  confronted  the  American 
people  on  the  morning  of  Independence  Day,  1991. 

The  newspapers  everywhere  contained  the  awful 
story  of  a  night's  disaster. 

The  Associated  Press  dispatches  from  the  capitol 
city  were  red  firebrands  of  graphic  description  and 
wild  terror. 

Not  only  did  they  give  detailed  accounts  of  the 
catastrophe  which  had  destroyed  the  political  capital, 
the  executive  mansion  and  some  of  the  most  costly 
public  buildings,  but  they  told  of  the  violent  and 
sudden  hurling  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  souls 
into  eternity. 

More  astounding  still  and  a  hundred  times  more 
terrifying  was  the  information,  plainly  communicated 
to  the  world  as  a  warning,  that  every  city  of  twenty 
thousand  inhabitants  or  more,  in  the  United  States, 
was  similarly  mined  and  that  the  military  authorities 
were  in  a  position  to  suppress  every  insurrection  and 
rebellion  with  as  great  facility  as  General  Edison  Grant 
had  suppressed  that  of  the  treasonable  Society  of 
Silence. 


268  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

"The  Society  of  Silence,"  the  dispatches  said, 
"planned  this  attack  on  the  White  House  with  the 
most  treacherous  secrecy.  Every  member,  it  appears, 
was  sworn  to  silence.  In  its  meetings  all  business  was 
conducted  by  signs.  No  man  spoke.  In  carrying  out 
the  orders  of  the  society  no  man  dared  to  speak,  on 
pain  of  severe  punishment,  unless  specially  instructed 
to  do  so.  The  training  of  half  a  century  in  co-oper- 
ative action  had  made  it  possible  to  effectuate  so  aston- 
ishing a  plan,  and  the  plan  itself  had  been  so  successful 
that  the  authorities  were  completely  baffled. 

"It  was  by  the  merest  chance  that  President 
Adams  learned  of  the  purpose  of  the  Society  of  Silence 
to  attack  the  White  House  and  take  the  Chief  Magis- 
trate and  Helen  Channing  prisoners.  He  was,  how- 
ever, in  a  position  to  protect  himself.  He  directed  his 
household  to  proceed  to  Montraven  Castle  and  sta- 
tioned a  body  of  troops  in  the  White  House. 

"Unfortunately,  Miss  Helen  Channing  could  not 
be  found.  She  had  gone  with  her  former  guardian, 
Mrs.  Locksley,  and  the  Secretary  of  War,  William  C. 
Endicott,  into  the  country.  Messengers  were  dis- 
patched in  all  directions  to  apprise  her  of  the  danger. 
Meantime,  the  members  of  the  Society  of  Silence 
gathered  in  vast  numbers  around  the  White  House. 
Their  presence  was  doubly  startling  and  oppressive, 
it  is  said,  because  of  the  uniform  and  absolute  silence 
which  was  steadfastly  maintained. 

"President  Adams,  in  the  security  of  Montraven 
Castle,  received  communications  every  few  minutes 
from  the  White  House.  He  was  informed  of  each 
demonstration.    At  seven  o'clock  an  effort  was  made 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  269 

by  the  Society  to  enter  the  main  hall.  When  this 
hostile  demonstration  occurred  the  President  turned 
to  General  Edison  Grant  and  said:  'General  Grant,  I 
now  place  the  responsibility  of  suppressing  this  insur- 
rection on  you,  as  general  of  the  army.' 

"General  Hughes,  Chief  of  the  Standard  Detect- 
ive force,  together  with  Mr.  Alden  Lowell,  who  had 
that  afternoon  returned  from  a  successful  mission  to 
China,  were  instructed  to  proceed  to  the  White  House 
and  report  the  situation  and  acts  of  the  besieging  mob 
to  General  Armstrong,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  body 
of  soldiers  stationed  there. 

"General  Grant  then  introduced  President  Adams 
to  the  military  chamber  of  whose  presence  President 
Adams  was  unaware.  (Here  the  newspaper  account 
contains  a  detailed  description  of  the  Military  Cham- 
ber, with  whose  mechanism  the  reader  is  already 
familiar.) 

"It  was  decided  that  an  object  lesson  was  required 
to  enable  the  Society  of  Silence  throughout  the  United 
States,  whose  membership  is  understood  to  number 
many  millions,  to  realize  the  futility  of  its  unhallowed 
designs.  General  Grant's  unqualified  opinion  was  that 
the  five  magazines  in  the  mines  beneath  the  White 
House,  the  Capitol,  War,  Navy  and  Commerce  build- 
ings should  be  ignited.  This,  it  was  believed,  would 
destroy  those  buildings  and  every  other  building  and 
material  form  within  a  well  defined  area. 

"General  Armstrong  was  notified  by  telephone  to 
order  every  building  vacated  within  the  condemned 
area  and  then  conduct  his  soldiers  through  under- 
ground passages  to  a  place  of  security. 


270  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

"Complying  with  their  orders,  General  Hughes 
and  Mr.  Lowell  hastened  to  the  White  House.  When 
they  came  to  Roosevelt  Square,  near  the  statue  of  the 
famous  statesman  and  hero  after  whom  the  square  is 
named,  a  man  pushed  his  way  through  the  crowd, 
and,  recognizing  General  Hughes,  informed  him  that 
Miss  Helen  Channing  and  party,  including  Secretary 
Endicott,  had  been  surrounded  and  that,  unless  help 
arrived  soon,  she  and  her  companions  would,  perhaps, 
suffer  at  the  hands  of  the  assembled  mob.  He  also 
declared  that  many  partisans  of  Miss  Channing  were 
present  in  the  multitude  who  would  gladly  follow  any 
leader  in  an  attempt  to  rescue  her. 

"Mr.  Alden  Lowell,  without  an  instant's  hesita- 
tion, offered  to  rally  the  friends  of  Miss  Channing  and 
suggested  that  General  Hughes  proceed  to  the  White 
House  alone.  It  so  happened  that  a  large  number  of 
the  friends  of  Miss  Channing  were  already  gathered 
together  near  the  Roosevelt  statue,  and  Mr.  Lowell 
had  no  difficulty  in  enlisting  them  in  his  cause.  They 
seem  to  have  been  forewarned  of  danger  and  were 
armed  with  revolvers.  Quickly  forming  his  men  into 
a  flying  wedge,  the  intrepid  young  man,  shouting 
'The  Reapers!  The  Reapers!'  which  was  adopted  as  a 
rallying  cry,  charged  into  the  ranks  of  the  mob. 

"On  the  first  charge  the  silent  mob  opened  its 
ranks  for  some  rods,  but  the  rest  were  so  solidly  packed 
together  that  they  involuntarily  restrained  one  an- 
other from  giving  way.  The  assailants,  however, 
succeeded  in  clearing  quite  a  space  around  them. 
Again  and  again  did  the  flying  wedge  attack  the  silent 
mob,  discharging  their  firearms  as  they  did  so,  and 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL,  271 

each  time  succeeded  in  making  progress  through  the 
solid  wall  of  human  beings,  nearer  to  Miss  Channing. 
Each  time  many  of  the  rescuing  party  were  killed 
or  wounded,  and  more  of  the  Society  of  Silence  lay 
hushed  forever  in  the  street.  At  last,  the  struggle  of 
those  of  the  mob  who  were  most  exposed,  to  escape  the 
repeated  assaults,  effected  a  partial  opening,  which 
enabled  Lowell  and  his  heroic  followers,  still  shouting 
The  Reapers!  The  Reapers!'  to  fight  their  way  through 
to  where  the  lady  whom  they  were  intent  on  rescuing 
sat  alone.  The  sight  of  her,  surrounded  and  threatened, 
encouraged  them  to  redouble  their  efforts,  and  Alden 
Lowell  seemed  to  carry  all  before  him  as  he  threw  him- 
self on  the  masked  men  who  opposed  his  final  charge. 
"Meantime,  General  Hughes  had  gained  entrance 
to  the  White  House.  The  soldiers  were  soon  on  their 
way  through  the  underground  secret  passages,  and 
the  occupants  of  all  buildings  in  the  condemned  dis- 
trict were  notified  to  seek  safety  in  flight.  In  half  an 
hour  from  the  time  General  Hughes  and  Alden  Lowell 
parted  company,  Hughes  was  on  his  way  to  Roosevelt 
Square.  He  had  seen  the  mob  pour  into  the  govern- 
ment buildings  in  search  of  the  President.  He  knew 
that  the  mines  beneath  the  buildings  would  not  reach 
Roosevelt  Square.  Arriving  at  the  statue,  he  found 
means  to  communicate  from  a  wireless  station  with 
Montraven.  Scarcely  were  the  last  words  of  his 
message  spoken  when  the  explosions  occurred.  The 
effect  of  these  beggars  description.  Every  building 
in  the  condemned  district  was  so  completely  obliterated 
that  it  would  be  impossible  from  any  external  evidence 
to  find  where  each  was  located.     The  majority  of  the 


272  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

Society  of  Silence  in  St.  Louis  were  probably  in  the 
destroyed  district,  and  of  those  none  escaped.  'Ruin' 
does  not  suffice  to  express  the  result  of  this  awful  object 
lesson  furnished  by  General  Grant  to  the  people  of 
America.  'Horror,'  'Death,'  'Obliteration,'  'Anni- 
hilation'— merely  suggest  the  tragedy  through  which 
the  beautiful  political  capitol  of  America  has  illustrated 
the  Law  of  Force. 

"At  the  instant  of  the  great  explosion  the  mob  of 
silence  on  the  outskirts  of  the  condemned  district  dis- 
appeared like  shadows.  The  rescuers  remained,  under 
the  command  of  the  heroic  and  intrepid  Lowell,  at 
their  post.  It  is  said  that  the  earth  in  that  locality 
trembled  as  if  an  earthquake  shock  had  occurred. 
When  all  was  quiet,  however,  the  rescuing  party  began 
to  search  for  Miss  Channing  and  her  companions. 
This  was  rendered  difficult  by  the  fact  that  much  of 
the  debris  which  had  been  thrown  from  the  destroyed 
buildings  had  fallen  and  lay  in  heaps  around  them. 
Many  of  the  rescuers  had  been  struck  and  were  injured 
and  the  wounded  as  well  as  the  dead  and  dying  lay 
beneath  the  wreckage. 

"Alden  Lowell  found  Miss  Channing  bleeding  and 
unconscious  and  carried  her  in  his  arms  as  rapidly  as 
the  obstacles  in  the  way  would  permit,  to  one  of  the 
neighboring  hotels.  The  surgeons  who  were  sum- 
moned found  the  young  lady  had  received  a  severe 
cut  on  the  head,  caused,  evidently,  by  a  flying  spar. 

"The  nation  has,  however,  lost  one  of  its  most 
promising  statesmen,  Honorable  William  C.  Endicott, 
Secretary  of  War,  whom  the  mob  had  bound  hand  and 
foot  and  who  suffered  fatal  injuries  of  an  internal 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  273 

nature  as  a  result  of  being  struck  by  falling  debris. 
He  was  unconscious  and  beyond  medical  aid  when 
discovered.  Mrs.  Locksley,  Miss  Channing's  former 
guardian,  who  accompained  the  heiress  and  Secretary 
Endicott,  had  also  been  bound  by  the  mob,  but  re- 
ceived no  injuries,  and  being  released  took  her  place 
at  the  bedside  of  her  ward." 

The  death  of  the  Secretary  was  regarded  as  a 
public  calamity  and  President  Adams  was  deeply 
affected  when  he  learned  that  his  favorite  counselor 
was  no  more.  The  entire  nation  went  into  mourning. 
Flags  were  displayed  at  half  mast  and  work  was  gen- 
erally suspended.  The  President,  however,  did  not 
reproach  himself  for  permitting  General  Grant  to 
"press  the  buttons"  which  destroyed  fifty  million 
dollars  worth  of  property  and  which  lost  to  the  nation 
the  services  of  one  great  man. 

"The  lesson  is  wholesome,"  he  said.  "It  is  better 
to  destroy  fifty  million  ourselves  than  to  permit  a 
misguided  populace  to  destroy  one  billion.  It  is 
better  to  destroy  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
people  in  one  place  and  in  a  few  minutes  than  to  dis- 
organize society  and  let  its  factions  murder  one  an- 
other to  the  number  of  several  millions.  Such  is 
the  Law  of  Force.  History  is  saved  by  this  action 
from  another  chapter  like  that  of  the  French  Revo- 
lution. Mankind  is  saved  from  another  Reign  of 
Terror." 


CHAPTER   XLV. 
THE  LAW  OF  LOVE. 

The  flashlight  of  the  conflagration  had  revealed 
to  Helen  before  she  became  unconscious  the  form  and 
features  of  Alden  Lowell,  and  the  light  went  out  of 
her  mind  with  the  impression  of  that  scene  of  strife 
and  heroism  indelibly  fixed  upon  it. 

So,  too,  she  recovered  consciousness  only  to  find 
herself  in  the  strong  arms  of  him  whose  presence  there 
seemed  miraculous. 

Whatever  strength  she  may  have  felt  because  of 
the  great  purpose  to  which  her  life  was  devoted,  she 
now  realized,  in  spite  of  the  pain  which  she  suffered, 
that  she  was  a  woman  and  that  her  happiness  lay  in 
another's  might  and  strength.  And  now  she  knew 
that  Alden  was  that  other. 

Satisfying  himself  that  Miss  Channing's  injuries 
were  not  serious,  Alden  left  her  with  Mrs.  Locksley 
and  the  attendants  and  returned  to  the  scene  of  the 
disaster  where  thousands  of  those  who  were  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  condemned  district  were  killed  or 
injured  by  debris  thrown  up  by  the  explosions. 

All  the  night  he  worked  with  untiring  zeal,  giving 
succor  to  the  wounded  and  dying  and  directing  many 
of  those  employed  in  the  rescue  service. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  275 

In  the  morning  he  called  to  ask  after  Miss  Chan- 
ning  and  learned  from  Mrs.  Locksley,  who  over- 
whelmed him  with  appreciation,  that  the  lady  was 
resting  easy  and  that  she  had  repeatedly  asked  after 
him.  But  a  feeling  of  resentment  rankled  in  his 
breast  and  he  could  not  see  her  then.  Why  had  she 
not  acknowledged  his  letter?  Why  had  she  treated 
him  with  indifference  and  perhaps  contempt?  He 
would  content  himself  with  asking  after  her  in  the 
future,  and  when  she  was  recovered  from  her  injuries 
he  would  meet  her  on  the  plane  of  fraternal  work  and 
never  refer  to  the  letter  again.  It  seemed  impos- 
sible that  such  forgetfulness  as  hers  could  be  either 
explained  or  condoned. 

Two  days  after  her  misfortune  Helen  was  well 
enough  to  be  removed  to  sumptuous  apartments  which 
had  been  prepared  for  her  at  Montraven  Castle. 
She  was  able  to  sit  up  and  in  another  week  she  was 
so  much  improved  as  to  be  taken  on  daily  drives  in 
the  great  Montraven  Park.  She  knew  that  Alden 
had  been  sufficiently  interested  in  her  welfare  to  ask 
after  her  every  day,  and  she  longed  to  see  him. 

Many  of  the  great  men  of  the  nation  had  paid 
their  respects  to  her,  and  President  Adams  had  called 
upon  her  personally.  The  advent  of  the  political 
government  at  the  citadel  of  the  economic  power, 
Montraven  Castle,  in  which  it  was  completely  ab- 
sorbed, caused  quite  a  stir  among  the  units  of  the 
system.  The  President  had  said  little  except  to 
justify  the  holocaust,  for  which  he  felt  responsible, 
but  it  was  not  difficult  for  Helen  to  see  that  he  was 


276  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

deeply  affected  and  that  he  was  not  the  same  strong 
man  whom  she  had  known. 

''You  still  persist,  Miss  Helen,"  he  said  with  a 
noticeable  absence  of  his  usual  urbanity  and  his  genial 
smile,  "in  having  confidence  in  these  wretched  people 
who  would  have  taken  your  life?  You  still  believe 
your  fraternal  society  can  administer  the  estate  left  by 
Morgan  Rockefeller?  I  have  had  several  discussions 
with  Judge  Brewer,  of  late,  and  he  seems  to  have 
become  as  great  an  advocate  of  the  fraternal  plan  as 
yourself.  I  consider  it  Utopian,  and  if  it  were  not 
for  Brewer's  position  I  would  probably  treat  it  with 
contempt.  Brewer  tells  me  that  he  has  become  a 
member  of  your  order." 

Helen  was  amazed  and  delighted.  Judge  Brewer 
was  an  unexpected  acquisition.  That  he  had  con- 
cluded to  identify  himself  with  the  Reapers  strength- 
ened her  position  much  and  she  was  so  delighted  that 
she  could  have  thrown  her  arms  around  the  President. 

"You  will  find  that  the  Reapers  of  the  World 
will  fail,  as  all  such  movements  have,"  continued  the 
President.  "I  think  you  would  do  well  to  reconsider 
your  decision  not  to  accept  the  estate  which  the  law 
will  give  you.  I  believe  I  would  proceed  to  have  the 
will  declared  void  on  my  own  responsibility  and  force 
you  to  take  the  estate,  but  I  feel  that  I  have  not  long 
to  live,  and  the  strain  will  break  me  completely  down. 
I  owe  it  to  myself  to  take  needed  rest."  The  Presi- 
dent sighed  heavily  and  presented  a  picture  of  hope- 
lessness which  filled  Helen  with  sorrow. 

"When  I  am  gone,  it  is  quite  likely  that  there 
will  be  none  to  check  this    movement  which  you  and 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  277 

Brewer  advocate.  Your  power  is  multiplied  in  the 
minds  of  the  people  by  the  sacrifice  you  propose  and 
what  you  propose  will  doubtless  result  in  temporary 
success." 

"I  would  not  feel  safe  for  one  moment,"  exclaimed 
Helen,  "if  your  Law  of  Force  compelled  me  to  assume 
the  burden  which  Your  Excellency  is  allowing  to 
crush  so  great  and  strong  a  man  as  the  President  of 
the  United  States.  The  Law  of  Love,  of  which  I  am 
a  disciple  and  which  Jesus  of  Nazareth  taught,  would 
never  put  this  burden  on  me  and  never  intended  it 
for  you.  Oh!  Mr.  President,  if  only  you  could  have 
more  confidence  in  humanity  and  less  in  the  Law  of 
Force,  the  unjust  burden  which  you  assume  and  which 
you  very  incorrectly  feel  that  the  world  places  upon 
you,  would  fall  from  your  shoulders  and  be  very  gladly 
borne  by  mankind.  The  world  only  waited  for  a 
system  by  which  it  could  do  so.  My  ancestors  have 
provided  that  system  and  the  fraternal  order  now 
furnishes  a  plan  by  which  that  system  can  be  con- 
tinued in  operation  through  the  Law  of  Love  as  pro- 
mulgated by  the  Reapers  of  the  World." 

"Well,"  said  the  President,  rising  to  go,  "you 
were  my  hope.  As  you  do  not  consent  to  accept 
your  own,  I  feel  that  there  is  no  other  course  to  pur- 
sue than  to  have  your  fraternal  plan  investigated. 
A  cabinet  meeting  has  been  called  to  consider  it, 
and  if  it  is  thought  proper  to  do  so,  a  special  session 
of  Congress  will  be  convened." 

The  President  returned  to  his  apartments  in  the 
castle,  leaving  Helen  almost  overcome  with  joy.  The 
cause  of  Fraternalism  mounted  up  to  the  very  summit 


278  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

of  victory.  Her  fondest  hopes  had  never  anticipated 
so  glorious  and  speedy  a  success. 

At  Montraven  her  surroundings  were  as  luxurious 
as  those  which  she  had  enjoyed  at  the  White  House. 
Innumerable  ladies,  pages  and  servants  attended  in 
obedience  to  her  will.  But  since  her  dream  of  the 
Temptation,  the  suggestions  of  royalty  and  the  splendor 
of  her  state  had  become  distasteful  to  her.  She  could 
not  dispense  with  them,  but  she  invoked  the  assistance 
of  her  servitors  as  little  as  possible.  They  seemed  to 
be  in  her  way.  Not  that  she  wanted  to  be  alone,  but 
that  she  longed  for  some  one  to  commune  with  who 
would  really  rejoice  with  her  and  who  could  under- 
stand and  appreciate  this  grand  victory.  She  had 
been  distressed  because  she  had  not  seen  Alden  since 
the  great  explosion.  Mrs.  Locksley  had  informed  her 
that  he  had  repeatedly  called  and  inquired  as  to  her 
progress,  but  that  he  had  avoided  her  on  one  pretext 
or  another;  and  she  believed  she  understood  the  reason, 
for  the  unanswered  letter  had  been  burning  its  every 
word  into  her  soul  ever  since  it  had  found  its  belated 
way  to  her.  She  had  expected  to  receive  him  at  her 
apartments  and  express  her  gratitude  for  his  heroic 
service  and  gallant  rescue.  Now  she  felt  that  she  must 
see  him,  so  she  quickly  wrote  a  short  note  and  calling 
a  messenger  bade  him  find  Mr.  Lowell  and  place  it 
in  his  hands. 

The  note  was  as  follows : 

' 'Dear  Mr.  Lowell: 

Auntie  tells  me  you  have  called  daily  since  the 
terrible  night  when  you  rescued  me  from  death,  but 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  279 

that  you  have  not  been  willing  to  see  me.  I  have 
great  and  good  news  for  you.  Can't  you  come  to  me 
at  once? 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

Helen  Channing." 

No  sooner  had  this  message  gone  beyond  recall 
than  Helen  began  to  think.  Strangely  enough,  the 
cause  which  involved  the  welfare  of  the  world,  the 
cause  of  which  she  was  the  originator,  organizer  and 
high  priestess,  the  cause  of  the  world's  fraternal  re- 
demption, faded  from  her  mind.  The  great  event 
which  had  just  occurred  was  eclipsed  by  another  of 
more  moment  to  the  girl  as  she  realized  that  she  was 
being  borne  swiftly  to  her  own  destiny. 

It  was  not  the  world,  not  the  Estate,  not  the 
nation  which  was  involved  now;  only  herself  and 
another. 

A  thousand  recollections  rushed  to  her  memory. 
Again  she  saw  herself  in  the  White  House  Park  and 
lived  over  once  more  the  scene  which  ensued;  the  agi- 
tation as  she  read  the  letter  which  Alden  sent  her  from 
far-away  China;  the  appearance  of  the  handsome 
Secretary  of  War  and  the  walk  with  him  among  the 
trees  and  flowers. 

A  great  pang  of  sorrow  seized  her  heart  as  she 
thought  of  the  admiration  she  felt  for  the  learned  and 
great  man  whose  tragic  death  had  occurred  in  her 
behalf.  Then  the  stirring  scenes  of  old  Colombia, 
where  she  had  been  rescue  from  captivity  by  Alden 
Lowell,  and  the  picture  of  the  battle  shown  by  the 


280  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

flashlight  from  the  red  flames  of  the  explosions  were 
revived  with  startling  and  realistic  effect.  She 
could  never  forget  that  hero  face  and  form,  and  now 
here  was  her  hero  coming  to  her  and  she  would  meet 
him  in  the  light  of  another  conflagration  which  was 
bursting  into  flame  and  consuming  her  heart.  The 
devotee  of  humanity's  cause  forgot  her  ecstacy  over 
the  success  of  that  cause  in  an  access  of  emotion  which 
is  the  sweet  heritage  of  real  human  love. 

It  seemed  a  long  time  before  Alden  arrived  and 
was  ushered  into  Helen's  presence.  He  presented  him- 
self with  a  formality  which  might  not  have  concealed 
his  agitation  from  one  who  observed  the  scene  without 
being  a  part  of  it.  Helen  did  not  see  that  he  was 
agitated.  He  did  not  see  that  she  was.  Lovers  are 
blind.  But  in  truth,  Alden  held  fast  to  the  memory 
of  the  unanswered  letter,  and  however  complete  his 
subjugation  to  the  influence  of  his  love,  that  wavering 
vanity,  which  creeps  into  and  often  destroys  the  garden 
of  happiness,  would  not  leave  him.  The  unanswered 
letter  was  a  subject  which  he  felt  should  not  be  dis- 
missed without  an  explanation.  Yet  his  fancied  re- 
sentment was  almost  swept  away  by  the  sound  of  that 
voice  and  the  sight  of  that  face.  He  nearly  surrendered 
to  the  impulse  to  throw  himself  at  her  feet  and  renew 
those  expressions  of  love  which  were  contained  in  his 
letter  from  the  Chinese  city. 

As  for  Helen,  everything  had  gone  out  of  her  life 
except  the  present  moment. 

"Mr.  Lowell,"  she  said,  smiling  and  extending  her 
hand,  "I  can  never  thank  you  sufficiently  for  your 
heroism  on  that  awful  night." 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  281 

Alden  took  the  little  hand  which  was  extended  to 
him  and  his  resentment  disappeared." 

"And  you  could  not  answer  my  letter?"  he  asked 
shortly. 

It  was  not  what  he  intended  to  say. 

Now  it  suddenly  occurred  to  him  that  in  asking  it 
he  had  revived  and  reiterated  all  the  declarations  con- 
tained in  the  letter  itself.  He  was  appalled  at  what  he 
had  done,  for  he  had  not  planned  or  expected  to  make 
this  meeting  so  important,  or  to  even  suggest  the  ques- 
tion whose  answer  sometimes  means  life  or  death  to 
one's  very  soul. 

He  had  crossed  the  rubicon,  so  to  speak,  uncon- 
sciously, and  was  unable  to  either  retreat  or  to  conceal 
his  advance.  He  looked  startled  and  almost  dazed 
into  wonderful  eyes  which  were,  for  the  moment,  full  of 
the  courage  of  love  and  confidence,  only  Alden  did  not 
see  it  through  his  confusion. 

"Oh!  Mr.  Lowell!"  she  exclaimed,  as  if  in  haste  to 
explain,  "I  did  not  receive  it  until  the  day  before  your 
arrival." 

She  told  him  how  she  had  accidently  found  it  in 
her  secretary's  basket  and  the  peculiar  action  of  the 
secretary.  "You  may  be  sure  somebody  was  anxious 
to  prevent  me  from  receiving  it."  This  had  never 
occurred  to  Helen  before.  "Now  every  day  I  have  ex- 
pected to  meet  you  but  you  have  never  permitted  it." 

She  looked  wistfully  at  her  hero  and  then  her  eyes 
fell  as  she  saw  the  great  joy  her  words  had  kindled. 

Alden  did  not  resist  the  impulse  to  raise  that  hand 
to  his  lips  and  murmur,  as  he  kissed  it  passionately: 

"My  Helen!  My  Love!" 


282  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

Then  the  wall  of  wealth  and  the  myth  of  social 
position  dissolved  between  these  two  mortals  as  he 
folded  her  in  his  arms  and  claimed  her  for  his  own. 
And  she,  unresisting,  accepted  his  love  and  gave  her 
heart  to  him  forever. 

There  was  real  joy  in  the  Rockefeller  family  that 
afternoon — the  joy  of  love. 

Oh!  that  this  old  world  were  so  organized  and  man- 
aged that  individuals  could  not  assume  the  burdens  of 
wealth  which  belong  to  society  as  a  whole.  Then, 
there  would  be  more  time  for  the  exercise  of  that 
greatest  of  God's  gifts  to  material  beings — the  gift  of 
love,  uncommercial  and  uncontaminated  love— where 
the  one  man  loves  the  one  woman  and  the  one  woman 
loves  the  one  man. 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 
THE  MOVEMENT  OF  THE  MANY. 

The  commissioners  who  had  been  appointed  to 
appraise  the  Rockefeller  estate  completed  their  work 
in  one  year.  Their  labors  were  far  less  difficult  than 
had  been  anticipated.  The  great  Master's  system  of 
bookkeeping  made  it  possible  to  ascertain  the  true  val- 
uation almost  at  a  glance.  The  property  was  there- 
upon ordered  to  be  sold  to  the  highest  bidder,  but  in 
no  case  for  less  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  billion 
dollars. 

The  President  and  Cabinet  were  now  under  the 
influence  of  a  master  mind.  They  realized  their  utter 
helplessness  in  the  face  of  recent  events.  President 
Adams,  oppressed  by  the  terrible  fatalities  which  fol- 
lowed the  attack  of  the  Society  of  Silence  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  that  society  had  been  destroyed,  felt  that 
he  no  longer  had  the  affection  of  the  people.  His 
spirit  was  broken  and  he  relied,  without  hope,  but 
through  a  sense  of  weakness,  on  the  new  Secretary  of 
War  for  guidance.  Secretary  Brewer,  however,  ap- 
proached his  task  with  a  deep  conviction  that  his  plans 
were  not  only  practicable  but  were  based  upon  the 
soundest  principles  of  humanity,  and  he  felt  the  most 
perfect  confidence  in  their  success. 

When  the  day  arrived  for  the  opening  of  bids  the 


284  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

cabinet  found  only  one.  It  was  signed  by  Helen 
Channing,  "Lady  Harvester"  of  the  Reapers  of  the 
World.  It  simply  offered  two  hundred  and  fifty 
billion  dollars  for  all  the  stock  of  the  Standard  Oil 
Company  and  agreed  to  pay  the  purchase  price  in  in- 
stallments on  a  basis  of  one  dollar  per  month  for  each 
member  of  the  order. 

"The  membership,"  said  Secretary  Brewer,  after 
reading  the  bid,  "has  increased  rapidly  in  the  last 
month.  I  have  thought  best  to  send  each  member  of 
Congress  an  outline  of  the  plan  of  the  Reapers  of  the 
World  in  connection  with  its  proposed  bid.  As  a  mem- 
ber of  the  order  I  have  also  invited  all  members  of 
Congress,  as  well  as  His  Excellency,  President  Adams, 
and  his  Cabinet  to  become  identified  with  the  great 
organized  movement  of  the  people  in  fraternity.  I 
have  advices  which  show  that  three  fourths  of  the 
House  and  Senate  are  now  active  members  of  the 
Reapers  of  the  World.  Your  Excellency  is  to  be- 
come a  member  this  evening  and  I  am  happy  to  say 
that  all  members  of  the  Cabinet  have  anticipated  the 
rule  of  fraternalism  by  joining  the  order." 

"The  present  membership  numbers  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  and  the  acceptance  of  this  bid, 
therefore,  means  a  payment  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars  per  month  to  the  government  on  ac- 
count of  the  purchase  price  of  the  estate.  It  means 
more.  The  moment  Congress  approves  the  action  of 
the  Cabinet  in  accepting  this  bid,  all  intelligent  Amer- 
icans will  desire  to  become  associated  with  us,  for 
where  the  wealth  is  which  they  created,  there  will  they 
also  go. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  285 

"I  am  in  favor  of  accepting  this  bid  with  two  con- 
ditions attached.  First,  the  necessity  for  the  secret 
features  of  the  fraternal  system  has  passed  when  man- 
kind accepts  that  system.  Secrecy  was  necessary 
when  the  order  had  enemies  and  when  it  was  pro- 
scribed by  the  industrial  power.  I  believe  we  should 
make  the  meetings  hereafter  open  and  public.  I  do 
not  mean  that  any  except  members  should  participate 
actively,  but  that  we  should  have  no  secrecy  in  our 
system.  Second,  this  wealth  is  created  by  the  labor  of 
all  men  and  women.  Therefore  a  man  or  woman  who 
is  good  enough  to  become  a  citizen  of  our  country  is 
entitled  to  be  a  member.  In  order  that  the  units  may 
be  looked  after  and  protected  properly  I  shall  insist 
that  all  be  admitted  to  membership  who  are  fit  to  be 
citizens  and  that  no  lodge  shall  have  more  than  five 
hundred   members/ ' 

The  bid  was  accepted  subject  to  the  conditions 
proposed  by  Secretary  Brewer  and  to  the  approval  of 
Congress. 

The  organs  of  publicity,  newspapers,  magazines, 
and  periodicals  of  every  description  gave  the  news  of 
the  Cabinet's  action  to  all  the  people.  It  produced  a 
profound  sensation.  At  first  it  was  not  understood. 
In  some  quarters  protests  were  formulated  into  reso- 
lutions, but  these  were  so  manifestly  based  on  misin- 
formation that  the  government  did  not  feel  concerned 
about  them.  Inquiries  came  from  all  parts  of  the  na- 
tion with  regard  to  the  Reapers  of  the  World. 

Meantime,  the  belief  became  general  that  the 
order  whose  bid  had  been  accepted  by  the  Cabinet  was 
about  to  receive  the  approval  of  Congress.     Helen 


286  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

Channing,  Alden  Lowell,  General  Hughes,  Judge 
Brewer  and  a  host  of  leaders  were  active  in  the  move- 
ment. Nothing  else  was  discussed  in  the  nation  but 
the  "Reapers"  and  their  system.  The  public  prints 
unanimously  favored  the  great  movement.  The 
churches  discovered  the  awakened  spirit  of  Jesus  the 
Christ  among  them  and  many  thought  it  was,  perhaps, 
a  suggestion  of  His  coming  again  to  earth  and  the  es- 
tablishment of  His  Kingdom. 

Everywhere  the  people  were  anxious  to  become 
members  of  the  order. 

Lodges  were  formed  in  every  city,  town  and  village 
and  the  excitement  was  intense  and  joy  seemed  to 
reign  supreme.  Helen,  Alden  and  Judge  Brewer  were 
in  great  demand  everywhere. 

Multitudes  nocked  to  meet  them  as  they  went 
through  the  nation  on  their  great  campaign  for  the 
Fraternal  system  and  the  Christ  idea. 

Helen  made  no  attempt  to  address  the  hosts  which 
greeted  and  cheered  her  as  she  went  with  her  compan- 
ions from  city  to  city.  But  Alden,  whose  voice  and 
manner  were  so  fascinating  in  public  speech  that  he 
received  the  sobriequet  of  "Golden  Mouth,"  spoke  as 
one  inspired. 

The  great  Judge,however,  plain  and  direct  of  speech, 
learned,  logical  and  full  of  statistics,  facts  and  truths, 
had  the  confidence  of  the  people.  They  believed  in 
his  constructive  statesmanship. 

Helen  Channing  was  the  embodiment  of  the  ideal 
and  was  deemed  far  above  the  sphere  of  logic,  of  argu- 
ment, of  practical  work  and  constructive  power. 

She  was  the  poetry,  the  song,  the  spirituality,  the 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  287 

thought,  the  truth  itself.  Such  was  the  estimation  of 
the  world  whose  admiration  for  her  was  unbounded. 
But  those  who  were  close  to  her  knew  that  her  life, 
free  as  it  was  from  any  selfishness  of  thought  or  pur- 
pose, amplified  as  it  was  by  a  spirituality  which  enabled 
her  to  know  the  truth  instinctively,  was  also  directed 
by  a  genius  for  organization  which  would  have  delighted 
even  her  greatest  ancestor. 

And  Alden?  He,  too,  was  a  hero  whose  lips  were 
hallowed  with  the  fire  of  brotherly  love  and  the  re- 
demption of  human  society  through  the  application 
of  Christ's  Law  of  Life —  the  Golden  Rule. 

When  Congress  convened  in  extra  session  in  Octo- 
ber, 1990,  there  was  nothing  for  it  to  do  but  accept  the 
strong  sentiment  of  the  people  as  their  unwritten  law. 
But  members  of  the  House  and  Senate  were  as  anxious 
to  approve  the  sale  of  the  estate  to  the  Reapers  of  the 
World  as  the  nation  was  to  have  them  do  it.  So  plain 
was  the  course  before  them  that  when  the  subject  arose 
in  the  regular  order  it  was  unanimously  approved  with- 
out discussion.  The  administration  was  congratulated 
on  its  successful  solution  of  the  problem  which  had 
long  perplexed  the  people  of  the  nation  and  was  urged 
to  complete  the  transfer  of  the  stock  of  the  Standard 
Oil  Company  to  the  Reapers  of  the  World  without  de- 
lay. 

In  less  than  ten  days  after  the  action  of  Congress 
was  taken  the  transfer  was  made. 

By  order  of  the  Probate  Court  and  with  the  ap- 
proval of  both  branches  of  Congress,  His  Excellency, 
Josiah  Quincy  Adams,  President  of  the  United  States, 
in  the  presence  of  a  large  and  distinguished  audience, 


288  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

assigned  to  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  Reapers  of  the  World 
Three  Hundred  Billion  shares  of  stock  of  the  Standard 
Oil  Company,  and  with  much  ceremony  delivered  that 
and  the  keys  of  the  vaults  in  which  the  stock  of  all  the 
corporations  of  the  nation  were  held  by  the  Standard, 
to  Helen  Channing,  descendant  of  the  Rockefellers, 
Lady  Harvester  of  the  Reapers  of  the  World,  Exemplar 
and  Exponent  of  the  Economic  Christ.  And  Helen,  as 
she  received  them,  spoke  briefly  and  graciously  to  His 
Excellency  and  the  assembled  multitude. 

"I  accept  these  evidences  of  the  Nation's  wealth," 
she  said,  "in  the  name  of  our  Lord  and  Master  who 
came  to  redeem  mankind  from  its  sins.  This  I  do  for 
the  Reapers  of  the  World  which  now  includes  more 
than  one  half  of  America's  adult  population  and  which 
will  include  the  remainder  as  soon  as  they  can  be  en- 
rolled. 

"My  honored  kinsman,  the  illustrious  Morgan 
Rockefeller  and  his  immortal  ancestors  organized  the 
system  by  which  the  Standard  Oil  Company  acquired 
all  wealth  and  all  power.  He  died  leaving  this  to  the 
government  on  the  theory  that  Democratic  Socialism 
would  be  thereby  accomplished. 

"The  government  is  unequal  to  the  task  because 
government  knows  no  law  but  force  and  the  Estate 
is  now  passed  over  by  the  government  to  an  organiza- 
ion  which,  while  it  does  not  disturb  society  or  the  sys- 
tem of  the  Rockefellers,  accepts  it  in  the  spirit  of  Fra- 
ternity and  will  infuse  into  its  operations  the  one  thing 
needful  to  perfect  its  greatness — Brotherly  Love. 

"As  the  sole  representative  of  the  family  which  has 
been  God's  instrument  to  accomplish  much  of  this  great 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  289 

work,  I  have  been  directed  by  mysterious  circumstances 
to  complete  it. 

"And  now,  dear  friends,  brothers  and  sisters  all, 
allow  me  to  lay  aside  forever  the  exalted  character 
of  an  instrument  of  God's  great  purpose  to  redeem 
mankind — and  take  my  place  among  those  who,  in  an 
economic  sense,  are  redeemed." 

Helen  looked  down  at  the  sea  of  upturned  faces 
which  seemed  to  reflect  her  own  loveliness — with 
a  smile  of  infinite  joy  shining  through  her  tears. 

The  vast  assemblage  was  deeply  affected  and  could 
not  restrain  its  wild  outbursts  of  delight.  In  the  midst 
of  that  indescribable  scene  Helen  turned  again  to  Alden 
Lowell  who  had  advanced  to  a  place  beside  her  on  the 
platform,  as  if  to  speak.  But  the  people  were  beside 
themselves  with  joy  and  could  not  be  calm.  At  last 
however,  there  was  a  moment's  quiet  and  she  spoke 
again. 

"It  is  permitted  me  now"  she  said  "to  retire  from 
the  leadership  of  the  Reapers  of  the  World.  At  the 
annual  election,  Mr.  Alden  Lowell,  whom  I  take  pleas- 
ure in  introducing  to  you,  was  elected  to  be  your 
Grand  Master  Harvester."  Then  turning  again  to 
Alden  she  continued,  "Grand  Master  Harvester  of  the 
Reapers  of  the  World: — I  now  deliver  to  you  the 
assignments  whereby  the  estate  of  Morgan  Rocke- 
feller becomes  the  absolute  property  of  the  order  of 
which  you  are  the  chief.  In  doing  this  I  more  than 
gladly  renounce  all  claims  to  it,  whether  legal  or  moral, 
except  as  provided  by  the  will  of  my  deceased  kinsman. 
My  public  work  is  now  finished  and  yours  has  begun 
in  a  larger  measure  than  we  have  anticipated.    And 


290  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

now  I  ask  all  to  bow  their  heads  with  me  in  a  silent  prayer 
of  thankfuless  which  is  too  real  and  too  great  for  spoken 
expression." 


CHAPTER   XLVII. 
FRATERNITY. 

The  Master  Harvester  of  the  Reapers  of  the 
World  assumed  his  place  at  the  head  of  his  order  with 
the  eyes  of  the  world  viewing  him  with  all  encourage- 
ment and  great  regard. 

It  was  the  law  of  the  order  that  he  should  hold 
his  high  office  for  two  years.  Some  of  the  great  men 
of  the  nation  believed  the  term  too  short,  but  they 
did  not  yet  realize  that  the  Reapers  were  merely  a 
1  'holding  order"  in  precisely  the  same  sense  that 
Standard  was  in  its  latter  years  a  "holding  company." 

The  Reapers  did  no  business. 

They  merely  held  or  owned  the  stock  of  those 
corporations  which  did  the  business. 

They  cut  the  coupons  from  bonds  and  collected 
them. 

They  received  dividends  on  stocks. 

Like  the  aristocracy  of  ancient  days  they  accepted 
and  absorbed  all  the  rent  of  their  great  tenement — the 
nation. 

Like  Shylock  they  demanded  and  obtained  the 
interest  which  capital  exacted. 

Like  the  trader  of  every  age,  they  added  profits 
to  the  producer's  fair  wage  and  covered  them  into  their 
treasury. 


292  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

But  they  did  it  the  same  way  that  the  cor- 
poration always  did  it.  In  other  words,  their  system 
was  exacting,  unyielding  and  omnivorous.  But  after 
the  "business"  had  been  transacted  on  scientific  and 
business  principles  they  distributed  the  dividends, 
the  interest,  rent  and  profits,  just  as  the  corporations 
did,  but  being  organized  on  the  basis  of  Brotherly 
Love,  while  the  men  and  women  received  wages  in 
accordance  with  their  deserts,  all  received  a  portion 
of  the  surplus  in  the  fraternal  treasury  as  equal  partners 
and  joint  heirs  in  the  estate. 

The  Grand  Harvest  of  the  Reapers  elected  the 
directors  in  all  the  corporations.  The  directors  elect- 
ed their  own  officers  and  also  appointed  the  manager 
who  was  best  fitted  to  make  the  business  a  success. 

The  Grand  Harvest  was  composed  of  delegates 
from  the  Ranges  of  which  there  were  one  hundred  and 
eighty — or  one  Range  for  each  one  million  inhabitants. 
A  Range  consisted  of  one  delegate  from  each  Field. 
A  Field  was  made  up  of  twenty  lodges  and,  as  already 
noted,  a  lodge  was  limited  to  five  hundred  members. 

The  Range  had  original  jurisdiction  of  all  cor- 
porations within  the  territorial  limits  which  the  Grand 
Harvest  defined  and  the  several  Ranges  selected  the 
directors  of  corporations,  each  in  its  own  district.  If 
a  corporation  failed  to  pay  dividends  the  Range  ap- 
pointed a  commission  to  investigate  and  on  the  report 
of  such  commission  the  deficient  company  was  either 
dissolved  or  strengthened  as  seemed  best.  But  any  de- 
cision of  aid  or  dissolution  was  subject  to  the  right 
of  the  aggrieved  officers  to  appeal  to  the  Grand  Harvest. 

This  system  made  every  corporation  extremely 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  293 

zealous  in  its  own  behalf;  for  when  a  corporation 
was  dissolved  its  officers  were  often  reduced  to  the 
ranks. 

The  special  concern  of  the  Ranges  was  to  utilize 
the  labor  power  of  the  nation  to  its  fullest  capacity. 
If  a  number  of  men  and  women  were  unemployed, 
places  were  found  for  them  in  some  existing  corpora- 
tion or  a  new  corporation  was  organized  and  financed 
to  receive  them. 

One  of  the  most  important  acts  of  the  Grand 
Harvest  of  1991  was  to  declare  the  Standard  Oil  Com- 
pany dissolved.  In  commemoration  of  the  event  the 
Master  Harvester,  in  a  notable  address,  spoke  in  part 
as  follows: 

"Thus  passes"  he  declared  "one  of  the  most  potent 
instrumentalities  of  concentration  and  progress  the 
world  has  ever  known. 

"It  was  invented  by  the  brainiest  products  of 
the  commercial  system. 

"Those  men  knew  that  all  corporations  must 
eventually  merge  into  one,  but  they  also  knew  that 
such  a  consummation  could  only  be  effected  by  natural 
and  easy  processes. 

"To  force  evolution  beyond  the  understanding 
or  habits  of  men  must  result  only  in  evil  and  perhaps 
in  total  failure  of  the  social  system. 

"Although  the  Reapers  have  now  acquired  the 
properties  of  Standard,  we  must  be  as  careful  and 
practical  in  handling  them  as  Standard  has  been. 

"Let  us  not  make  the  mistake  of  supposing  that 
all  the  smaller  corporations  should  be  dissolved  or 
their  identity  lost  in  the  Fraternal  Merger. 


294  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL 

"Each  corporation  is  an  individual  with  character- 
istics of  its  own.  Each  will  compete  with  the  others 
and  the  race  for  high  honors  and  prizes  will  sharpen 
the  conflict  without  endangering  the  material  comfort 
of  men, 

"Under  the  dominion  of  Standard  each  corporation 
did  its  best  because  it  sought  the  honors  which  would 
be  bestowed  on  merit  and  success  by  a  captain  of 
industry. 

"Many  times  more  desirable  will  be  the  honors 
which  can  be  conferred  by  the  Fraternal  Merger,  the 
Reapers  of  the  World,  the  order  of  Brotherly  Love." 

The  first  Grand  Harvest  of  the  Reapers  of  the 
World  witnessed  a  tragic  and  affecting  event.  The 
Socialist,  John  R.  Bristow,  entered  the  hall  while 
the  Harvest  was  in  session.  Secrecy  was  now  abolished 
from  all  the  Councils  of  the  order  and  so  he  made  his 
way  unchallenged  to  the  platform.  So  venerable  and 
yet  stately  did  he  appear  that  he  attracted  the  attention 
of  all  and  some  knew  him  as  being  one  of  the  most 
famous  men  of  his  day.  There  had  been  a  lull  in  the 
proceedings  and  Alden,  the  Grand  Master  Harvester, 
while  occupying  the  chair,  was  conferring  with  Judge 
Brewer  who  sat  on  the  platform  with  him.  The  Judge 
looking  up,  remarked  the  approach  of  the  old  man  and 
at  once  recognized  him. 

"It  is  Bristow,  the  old  Socialist,"  he  whispered  to 
Alden.     "Let  us  have  him  speak  to  the  Harvest." 

And  Alden,  appreciating  the  part  the  defeated 
hero  had  played  in  his  country's  history,  arose  and  took 
the  old  man's  hand  as  the  latter  stepped  on  the  plat- 
form. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  295 

"Welcome,  Mr.  Bristow,"  he  exclaimed.  Then 
turning  to  the  assemblage,  he  said:  "Reapers,  I  wish 
to  introduce  Hon.  John  R.  Bristow  who  will  kindly 
favor  us  with  some  words  of  encouragement." 

As  the  old  man  faced  the  Harvest  he  bent  his 
head  and  spoke  in  a  voice  trembling  with  the  weak- 
ness of  age. 

"Never  have  I  realized  as  I  do  now  the  meaning 
of  those  words,  'God  has  His  mysteries  of  Grace.' 

"Almost  a  century  I  have  watch<.d  the  foaming, 
surging  flood  of  years  as  it  plunged  headlong  into  ob- 
livion. Half  of  that  time  I  have  watched  it  in  silence, 
but  have  known  always  that  some  immeasurable  force 
spoke  from  the  tumult  in  God's  voice  of  Thunder. 
I  say  I  have  watched  it  in  silence.  It  was  because  I 
could  not  understand,  but  felt  that  some  day  it  would 
all  be  clear  to  me.  Now  as  I  stand  with  my  hand 
lifting  the  latch  of  that  door  which  opens  into  eternity, 
I  look  back,  so  to  speak,  and  see  and  know  that  in 
the  Providence  of  God,  all  things  make  for  good. 
You,  0,  Reapers!  have  solved  the  problem  I  could  not 
solve.  You  are  the  vanguard  of  the  second  coming 
of  Christ  to  this  earth — where,  in  his  kingdom  of  broth- 
erly love,  a  kingdom  organized  on  the  basis  of  frater- 
nity, He  who  might  have  reigned  materially  will  reign 
spiritually." 

The  old  man  lifted  his  head  as  he  spoke  and  the 
fire  of  youth  seemed  for  the  moment  to  return  to  his 
eye;  but  suddenly  he  was  seen  to  stagger  and  raise  his 
hand  to  his  forehead.  Alden  sprang  quickly  forward 
and  caught  him  in  his  arms  as  he  fell.     They  sent  for 


296  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

aid,  but  before  the  physician  could  arrive  the  old 
man  expired,  murmuring  the  word  "Fraternity." 

As  for  the  industries,  they  continued  to  thrive. 
Even  in  Colorado  the  new  order  had  become  popular 
with  the  gold  miners.  They  were  not  all  willing 
to  become  Reapers  but  most  of  them  did  so.  General 
Masterson  was  one  of  the  most  enthusiastic  of  those 
who  favored  the  Fraternal  Merger,  as  it  was  universally 
called,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  declare  that  the  time 
was  not  far  off  when  Morgan  Rockefeller's  anti-gold 
order  would  be  accepted  in  favor  of  the  Reapers  and 
that  when  all  men  became  directly  interested  in  the 
wealth  which  they  created  there  would  be  no  need  of 
wasting  labor  in  producing  gold  except  for  an  orna- 
mental and  artistic  purpose. 

It  was  remarkable,  however,  how  little  the  people 
felt  interested  in  the  political  government.  The  new 
ownership  of  the  Estate  had  made  every  man  a  busi- 
ness man,  although  the  management  of  the  business 
was  left  with  the  same  skillful  and  experienced  heads 
which  had  made  it  successful.  But  each  man  and 
woman  was  a  partner  so  far  as  the  interest,  rent  and 
profits  were  concerned.  Each  received  his  wages 
for  his  work  and  paid  his  dues  to  the  trust  fund  as  be- 
fore. 

One  day  during  the  holiday  recess  of  the  Grand 
Harvest,  Alden  suggested  to  Helen  that  she  could 
make  a  Christmas  gift  of  her  legacy  of  one  million 
dollars  a  year  to  the  trust  fund  of  the  order. 

"Why  should  I  do  that?"  asked  Helen  "I 
will  gladly  give  it  to  any  cause  but  that." 

Alden  was  surprised. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  297 

"And  why  not  that,  dear  Helen?" 

"Well,  even  that,  if  you  really  think  I  should.  But 
I  am  sure  it  would  not  be  accepted.  The  original 
Reapers  will  insist  that  no  patron  for  their  trust 
fund  be  tolerated.  They  are  equal  partners  in  that  and 
prefer  to  remain  so.  They  will  never  allow  any  per- 
son to  contribute  more  to  the  capital  of  the  joint 
business  than  they  do.  They  believe  that  equality 
of  burdens  is  far  more  important  to  maintain  the  fra- 
ternal system  than  equality  of  profits." 

"You  are  right,  Helen!"  exclaimed  Alden.  "The 
mind  of  the  great  captains  and  the  heart  of  the  Redeem- 
er speak  in  you." 


CHAPTER  XLVIII 
A.   D.   2000. 

At  the  close  of  his  second  term  as  Chief  Magistrate 
Mr.  Adams  retired  from  politics,  full  of  honors.  Af- 
ter the  ceremony  of  transferring  the  Estate  to  the  Reap- 
ers of  the  World  he  had  fallen  sick  and  for  a  time  his 
life  hung  in  the  balance.  The  nation  had  grown  cold 
towards  him  immediately  after  the  explosions  which 
caused  so  much  destruction  of  life.  His  seeming 
loss  of  prestige  weighed  heavily  upon  him  even  after 
he  had  succeeded  in  relieving  himself  of  the  burden 
of  the  Estate. 

While  he  was  still  very  sick  the  national  cam- 
paign of  1992  was  begun.  For  the  first  time  in  thirty 
years  it  was  contested.  The  people  had  no  Morgan 
Rockefeller  now  to  dictate  their  action  in  the  poli- 
tical sphere  and  were  inclined  to  take  advantage  of 
their  freedom  to  show  their  disapproval  of  the  crime 
of  1991. 

The  popularity  of  Helen  Channing  was  unbounded. 
It  seemed  as  if  the  whole  nation  awaited  her  suggestion 
as  an  inspiration  from  above.  Helen  became  aware 
of  this  attitude  of  the  people  and  so  was  seen  but  sel- 
dom in  public  lest  word  or  act  of  hers  might  be  mis- 
construed. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  299 

In  the  election  of  1992,  however,  while  the  Pres- 
ident, still  burning  with  fever  on  what  his  friends 
feared  would  be  his  death  bed,  Helen  spoke  to  the 
people  on  a  single  occasion.  Her  words  fell  from  her 
lips  with  the  grace  and  simplicity  of  truth  and  love 
and  the  great  public  recognized  their  purity  and  free- 
dom from  selfish  interest,  caught  them  up  and  repeat- 
ed them  over  and  over  again  as  the  "vox  Dei"  for 
that  campaign. 

As  a  result  the  man  of  power  who  was  instrumental 
in  ushering  in  the  Fraternal  system  was  reelected 
without  even  knowing  that  he  was  a  candidate.  At 
first  he  was  disposed  to  decline  the  honor,  but  as  his 
strength  returned  he  took  on  new  courage  and  on  March 
4,  1993,  the  oath  of  office  was  administered  to  him  a 
second  time  amid  the  rejoicing  of  the  people. 

While  the  contest  had  developed  some  marked 
opposition  to  Mr.  Adams,  the  nation  accepted  his  re- 
cord as  a  pledge  that  the  government,  under  his  guid- 
ance, would  not  interfere  with  the  Estate.  Men  re- 
garded him  as  the  champion  of  a  policy  which  his 
opponents  contemptuously  epitomized  in  the  phrase 
"Hands  Off." 

Strangely  enough  the  government  was  looked  upon 
as  an  institution  which  was  in  some  indefinite  sense 
indispensable  but  dangerously  in  the  way.  "If  only 
it  would  keep  quiet  while  the  Fraternal  Order  worked 
out  the  economic  salvation  of  the  nation"  its  whole 
object  would  be  subserved.  And  the  people  were  not 
mistaken  in  their  estimate  of  what  Mr.  Adams  would 
and  would  not  do  in  the  high  office  which  he  occupied. 
Again  his  popularity  reached  a  height  second  only 


300  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

to  that  of  the  beautiful  and  immortal  daughter  of  the 
Rockefeller  race.  And  President  Adams,  carried  by 
the  tide  of  events  toward  that  inevitable  destiny  of 
man,  used  his  office  to  minimize  rather  than  enlarge 
the  powers  of  political  government — and  to  enlarge 
rather  than  minimize  the  efficiency  and  influence  of 
the  Fraternal-economic  system. 

When,  therefore,  in  1994  the  President  desired 
Grand  Master  Harvester  Alden  Lowell  to  use  his 
influence  to  make  Secretary  of  War  Brewer  his,  the 
President's,  successor,  that  gentleman  willingly  com- 
plied and  Judge  Brewer  was  elected  tumultuously  and 
without  a  contest. 

And  now  the  year  2000  had  arrived. 

But  in  the  presidential  campaign  of  the  year  2000 
the  people  seemed  to  be  as  little  interested  as  if  it 
were  a  foreign  event.  The  apathy  was  appalling.  To 
those  who  had  been  prominent  figures  in  the  politics 
of  the  nation  it  was  inexplicable. 

"Is  it  not  astonishing!"  exclaimed  Ex-President 
Adams  as  he  sat  with  President  Brewer  in  the  new 
Executive  office  and  discussed  the  situation.  The 
ex-president  did  not  appear  very  much  disturbed  and 
was  the  picture  of  health  and  smiling  rotundity. 

"The  Grand  Master,"  continued  the  ex-president 
"has  promised  to  appoint  electors  in  all  the  states  and 
to  instruct  a  number  of  voters  to  cast  their  ballots  for 
them  on  election  day,  otherwise  I  really  believe  this 
election  would  go  by  default." 

It  was  true.  So  little  did  the  people  care  for  the 
political  government — the  government  of  Washington, 
Jefferson,  Adams,  Jackson,   Lincoln  and  Roosevelt — 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  301 

that  it  seemed  now  a  matter  of  no  importance  who 
was  President. 

What  was  the  government  anyhow? 

The  business  interests  owned  it  during  the  first 
century  of  its  life. 

The  consolidated  interests  operated  it  from  1880 
until   1915. 

After  1915  it  became  merely  the  creature  of 
Standard  and  later  of  the  Estate. 

Now  the  people  had  a  system  of  their  own  and 
all  that  the  government  formerly  recognized  as  a  con- 
trolling factor  of  its  affairs — wealth  and  the  power  of 
wealth — was  owned  and  controlled  by  the  people's 
system — the  Fraternal. 

So  men  were  not  interested  in  the  President  and 
his  almost  obsolete  office — and  were  intensely  interest- 
ed in  the  more  vital  question  — who  should  be  the  next 
Grand  Master  Harvester  of  the  Reapers  of  the  World. 

Yet  the  great  men  of  the  Fraternal  world — the 
leaders  of  the  people — believed  that  political  govern- 
ment should  be  retained.  They  valued  its  diplomatic 
service  as  being  one  which  could  best  treat  with  other 
political  governments.  They  thought  it  should  bear 
the  same  vanishing  relation  to  the  new  system  that 
the  Feudal  system,  with  its  castles  and  lords,  bore  to  the 
Commercial  system  when  the  latter  was  newly  estab- 
lished. As  all  the  members  of  the  diplomatic  service, 
from  ambassador  down  to  commercial  agent,  were 
members  of  the  Reapers  and  subject  to  the  fraternal 
order  and  its  business  interests,  the  latter  were  in  no 
danger  from  that  source. 


302  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

The  Grand  Harvest  of  1998  had  seriously  dis- 
cussed the  advisability  of  organizing  a  Postal  Company 
and  requiring  the  government  to  transfer  the  entire 
system  and  property  of  the  Post  Office  Department 
to  that  corporation.  It  was  contended  that  it  would 
be  merely  a  paper  transfer  and  not  in  the  least  respect 
revolutionary.  But  the  delegates — amused  at  the 
simplicity  of  affairs  which  had  always  seemed  so  com- 
plex before — could  not  entirely  break  the  force  of  habit 
and  smilingly  laid  the  matter  over  for  another  Grand 
Harvest. 

The  entire  nation  was  now  more  completely  under 
the  dominion  of  the  Reapers  of  the  World  than  it  was 
ever  under  the  dominion  of  Morgan  Rockefeller.  The 
reason  was  evident  now  to  the  most  obtuse  intellect. 
In  Rockefeller's  time  people  did  not  feel  themselves 
a  part  of  the  system.  They  maintained  it  because 
they  recognized  its  existence  as  an  inexorable  and 
dominating  force.  They  felt  that  the  political  system 
belonged  to  them.  Although  in  truth  it  belonged  to 
the  economic  system,  the  system  of  Morgan  Rocke- 
feller, and  although  it  responded  to  that  power,  the 
people  were  not  surprised  that  the  government  should 
do  what  they  themselves  felt  compelled  to  do. 

Now  each  man  was  a  Rockefeller  in  his  own  right. 

He  was  now  a  partner  in  the  business  and  no  man 
had  a  greater  interest  than  he. 

No  member  was  permitted  to  pay  more  than  his 
share  into  the  trust  fund  and  it  was  a  rule  which  ad- 
mitted no  exception  that  the  trust  fund  should  be 
owned  equally  by  all  and  the  distribution  of  rent, 
interest  and  profits  should  be  equal. 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  303 

Yet  no  man  or  woman  was  in  a  position  to  disturb 
or  interrupt  the  business  system  or  its  operations.  He 
or  she  might  act  as  a  unit  of  the  Fraternal  system — but 
in  the  industrial  department  each  was  compelled  to 
earn  his  or  her  own  place.  The  man  of  skill,  knowledge, 
merit  and  experience  dominated  the  economic  system 
as  in  the  old  days  of  competition  and  waste. 

The  objection  to  Standard  in  the  time  of  John 
D.  Rockefeller  was  that  the  objector  was  not  directly 
interested  in  it.  If  he  had  a  share  of  stock  he  became, 
in  those  days,  Standard's  friend. 

In  the  Fraternal  system  everybody  was  financially 
interested  and  believed  in  it  because  he  or  she  was  a 
part  of  it — an  active,  recognized,  prosperous  and  un- 
encumbered part. 

In  1995  the  Reapers  of  the  World  repealed  the 
order  of  Morgan  Rockefeller  demonetizing  gold. 

It  coined  in  place  of  gold,  an  hour's  labor,  a  week's 
labor,  and  a  month's  labor.  Every  gold  miner  in 
Colorado  was  quite  ready  to  assent  to  the  plan  now, 
because  he  was  a  member  of  the  Reapers  of  the  World 
and  a  part  of  the  System. 

In  1992  the  Reapers  paid  on  account  of  the  con- 
tract price  of  the  Estate  to  the  government  Nine  Hun- 
dred Millions.  As  this  was  in  addition  to  the  internal 
tax  which  the  corporation  paid  it  left  a  prodigious 
surplus  in  the  government  treasury.  In  1993  the 
same  enormous  sum  was  paid  as  a  second  installment. 
It  was  evident  that  if  the  government  and  the  nation 
were  to  continue  to  do  business  on  a  gold  basis  all  the 
gold  would  accumulate  in  the  treasury  and  the  system 
would  be  paralyzed .     The  expense  of  the  federal  govern- 


304  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

ment  was  about  equal  to  the  annual  payments,  but  in 
the  interest  of  bookkeeping  it  was  decided  not  to 
abolish  the  internal  tax,  but  to  distribute  the  surplus 
so  as  to  return  it  to  the  channels  of  business. 

President  Jackson  once  disposed  of  a  surplus  in 
the  Federal  treasury  by  apportioning  it  among  the 
states. 

In  the  present  case,  however,  the  President, 
Cabinet  and  Congress  all  concluded  that  the  best  way 
to  dispose  of  the  surplus  was  to  return  it  to  the  Reapers 
of  the  World  which  included  all  adult  citizens  in  its 
membership.  It  was  arranged  in  1993  that  the  sum 
of  one  billion  eight  hundred  million  dollars  which  was 
lying  idle  in  the  treasury  should  be  placed  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  Reapers. 

In  the  years  following,  the  payments  and  return 
were  a  mere  matter  of  bookkeeping.  No  money 
passed  either  way,  but  the  custom  adopted  has  ever 
since  been  continued  in  force. 

The  result  is  that  the  political  government  is 
fast  becoming  obsolete.  The  Fraternal,  economic 
government,  represented  by  the  Grand  Harvest  of  the 
Reapers  of  the  World,  exercises  all  the  power  and  unites 
the  people  so  firmly  that  they  act  as  one  man  and  no 
human  power  can  stand  against  them. 

President  Brewer,  of  the  political  government, 
has  aided  the  Fraternal  in  his  executive  capacity  by 
subjecting  the  political  to  the  domination  of  the  Fra- 
ternal in  every  way.  It  required  a  great  man  at  the 
helm  of  state  to  direct  its  course  into  the  haven  of 
Fraternal  Love,  and  Brewer's  name  shines  forever  in 


MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL.  305 

the  galaxy  of  life's  immortals  because  he  filled  his 
place  and  accomplished  a  great  work. 

And  in  this  blessed  year  2000  the  daughter  of  the 
Rockefellers,  beloved  of  all  mankind,  and  idolized  by 
her  distinguished  husband,  Grand  Master  Harvester 
Alden  Lowell,  and  her  two  beautiful  children,  Alden 
Rockefeller  and  little  three  year  old  Helen  Channing, 
enjoys  a  peace  and  happiness  that  passeth  the  under- 
standing of  those  who  do  not  know  how  much  better 
it  is  to  give  than  to  receive.  But  if  it  be  true,  as  some 
contend,  that  her  relinquishment  of  the  Estate  was  a 
sacrifice  on  her  part,  she  still  remains  unconscious  of 
any  other  fact  than  that  she  escaped  a  burden  which 
it  was  not  her  duty  to  assume.  In  her  home  the  old 
vanity  of  birth  and  wealth  and  the  hard  coarse  com- 
mercialism of  modern  plutocracy  have  no  place.  Her 
husband's  growing  greatness  is  her  delight  and  pride 
and  she  is  his  adviser  in  all  the  intricacies  of  his  public 
work.  Her  contributions  to  literature  are  in  universal 
demand  and  all  the  world  looks  to  her  as  the  greatest 
living  exemplar  of  the  new  system. 


Twenty  centuries  have  rolled  over  the  steeps  of 
time  since  Jesus  the  Redeemer  died  nailed  to  a  cross 
on  the  Hill  of  Calvary.  He  went  about  doing  good 
and  taught  men  that  they  should  love  their  neighbors 
as  themselves  and  do  unto  others  as  they  would  be 
done  by.  In  all  the  frightful  span  of  those  twenty 
centuries,  as  they  are  pictured  by  the  Muse  of  History, 
it  seems  difficult  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  true  light 
of  that  wonderful  life  shining  across  the  dismal  fields  of 


306  MORGAN  ROCKEFELLER'S  WILL. 

bloodshed  and  starvation  which  the  military  and  com- 
mercial systems  have  spread  between  it  and  this 
year  2000.  But  this  we  know,  that  selfishness  is  death 
and  that  the  sole  blessing  which  mankind  has  ever 
received  or  can  receive  comes  to  us  from  that  distant 
time.  As  we  lift  our  hearts  in  thanksgiving  for  the 
spiritual  grandeur  of  his  example  and  teachings  let 
us  not  forget  that  there  was  and  is  an  Economic  Christ 
also,  and  that  His  remedy  is  all  that  the  world  will 
ever  find  efficient.  Behind  the  clouds  of  the  dark 
centuries  it  shines  full  of  love,  full  of  grace  and  splendid 
beyond  the  present  power  of  the  mind  to  realize.  But 
some  day — and  we  hope  soon — the  clouds  which  obscure 
it  will  burn  away  and  we  shall  see  written  all  over  the 
universe  the  golden  letters  which  spell  the  only  hope 
for  the  material  world — 

FRATERNITY. 


